The Unsung Hero
by speedgriffon
Summary: Can people really change? Caught in the middle of an unforgettable journey, one girl struggles to find the answer.
1. The Wind

**A/N: **This story mainly sticks by the main plot of Skyward Sword, with the exception of it being told in the eyes of an OC (and her added to the plot a bit). Born from my undying love of Groose, it narrates just what was going on in Skyloft while our hero and Goddess were missing, meaning it will involve most characters and hint at various events from the game. That being said, the story **will be spoiler heavy.** Anyways, per usual, I do not claim to own any rights to Legend of Zelda or Nintendo… although I do have 1 share invested in the company so I guess I'm entitled, right?

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><p>It wasn't unusual to be awoken by the sound of the wind. Outside it would whistle against the gaps in the windows and doors and influence the trees to brush against the various buildings. Chimes would sing and more than anything, the faint gawk of a Loftwing could be heard in the distance. Today wasn't any different, and when I opened my eyes to the sun seeping through an open window, I sighed, always calmed by the sight.<p>

I had been living in Skyloft for what I assumed as forever, or at least as long as I had been alive; I was born here and I would die here just like the rest of the citizens. Our race was small, and yet, without knowing any different, I wouldn't have it any other way. The history here was too rich to ever wish of something more; I was happy where I was. That being said, I sometimes felt like I was the only one; not that everybody else was ready to dive off the island and search for the fabled surface, but maybe they took this land for granted more than I did.

Cherishing the new growth of vines outside my house I stepped, glancing in the distance to see more Loftwings in the sky. It was a busy day, and at the moment, I couldn't figure why. The walk to the bazar was a short one, and the moment I entered I could already tell my sister wasn't in a great mood.

"Peatrice?" I beckoned, stepping up to her booth. She continued to dig her cheek into her palm as she sighed. "What's the matter?"

"It's the Wing Ceremony today…" she rolled her eyes, a sight I was all too familiar with. "And I'm stuck here, per usual," her eyes held a longing look then and I already knew what was coming. "What will Linkypoo think when he doesn't see me there, cheering him on?"

"Could you not call him that?" I asked, grimacing as she rambled on. She only looked at me with narrow eyes.

"Oh Penny, you're just jealous you can't fall in love," she laughed at my probable stoic expression and after a few moments I wished I never had a sister. I was going to ask dad later on why he and mother hadn't stopped with me. "Anyways…" she waved her hand and I raised an eyebrow.

"There's _more_?" I teased, watching her as she glared for a moment before moving her hands to the counter in front of her.

"Would you go tell him good luck for me?" she paused when I refused to change my unimpressed expression. "_Please_?" she dragged out her syllables and suddenly I felt myself being sucked into a task I was extremely hesitant to complete.

"What do _I_ get out of it?" I asked. I watched Peatrice dart her eyes around the bazar, as if she was frantically searching for something to win me over. She breathed out.

"I'll cover your shift tomorrow!" she finally exclaimed.

"Fine," I finally agreed.

With a small handshake, I turned away from my sister, walking towards the back exit, silently teasing her in my thoughts. It had been like this for a while; Peatrice too shy to say anything to the blonde boy in the Knight Academy, something I didn't quite understand. We were lucky to have a larger group of friends our age, and yet, Peatrice was too meek to talk to any of them, even the girls. Too intimidated to form a relationship, something I knew she wanted. And while I could have simply left my sister to deal with her problems, I didn't and always made sure she was included in any gathering of young adults.

My head was already pounding by the time I reached the academy doors, the sound of Loftwings busy in the sky above told me that the undergraduates were practicing. The moment I entered the building I saw Fledge, who had seemingly perked up before reverting back to his introverted self.

"Uh, hello," I greeted, waving slightly. He offered a nervous chuckle.

"I thought you were your sister the way you're dressed,"

I had to admit that I did look like her today; polka-dot dress and sweater. I had even worked to get my hair into braided pigtails, something I rarely accomplished.

"We could be twins if it wasn't for my brown hair," I joked back. Fledge laughed softly again before tilting his head slightly.

"Tell her hello for me?" he simply asked. I felt my eyebrow perk up before I nodded and suddenly felt flustered. Was I today's messenger girl? Nodding, I looked for a way out. Pointing, I looked down the hallway.

"Has Link left yet?" I stumbled over my words as Fledge shrugged, glancing up.

"There was some commotion this morning with Groose and the guys…" he paused shifting his eyes. "I think… I think they did something to his Loftwing," he finally admitted, his voice low. I widened my eyes a bit before thinking straight.

"Maybe you should tell him?" I stated more than asked. Fledge shook his head a bit.

"They'll probably throw me into the thunderhead if I tell!" he spoke frantically. I sighed, even more annoyed now. Fledge looked even more worried. "You have to tell him! Groose won't hit a girl!" he tried to look as persuasive as possible, but failed. Still, I nodded, reluctantly taking on another task of the day. He tried to offer a supportive smile but I simply turned, walking down the hall before stopping in front of Link's door. I was about to move to knock when the door burst open, a flurry of blonde hair and white buzzing by. I braced myself against the wall and widened my eyes, still startled.

"Where's the fire?" I mumbled to myself before noticing a very yellow man standing next to me.

"What was that all about? He shouldn't really be running in the halls…" Pipit narrowed his eyes a bit before glancing at me. "You shouldn't really be here either," he spoke. I pursed my lips at him.

"Chill out, good guy," I shook my head as he looked offended. "Ah, you know, maybe you can help Fledge with something…" I thought for a moment before continuing. "He saw Groose do something,"

That was enough for the training knight to burst off in his direction, my footing speeding past the two to get back outside. Almost instantly I could see the commotion in the plaza and before I could duck behind a tree, I knew I had been spotted.

"Penny!" I chewed on my lip before showing myself again, even more irritated. "What happened?"

Peatrice asked, her hands clasped together as she made us both gaze to the plaza where an obvious showdown was occurring. Groose and his henchmen, Link and now Zelda was seen bobbing around as if she was about to tackle a bully. I shook my head.

"Why are you out here?" I scolded, finding nothing but a worried expression.

"Go find out what's wrong!" she prodded, pushing me down the steps a bit.

I leaned back against her at first before shaking my head as I saw most of the cavalry heading back towards the academy anyways. Link had dashed off in a separate direction, and judging by the commotion, Fledge was right.

"So uh, what's wrong?" I asked as Zelda approached. She looked worried for a moment before sighing. Before she could even speak Groose was leaning down towards us.

"Who asked _you_?" he laughed as Strich and Cawlin joined in. I raised an eyebrow.

"You're using that phrase wrong…" I mumbled before watching the confusion appear across his features. In a quick moment he hesitated to walk away, something I was grateful for. Zelda simply offered a smile.

"Thank you…" she looked up towards the sky. "Groose hid Link's Loftwing so he couldn't participate in the Wing Ceremony," she looked back to me. "We're hoping to postpone the ceremony until we find it," she frowned a bit. "You'll have to excuse me," she nodded her head before moving around me, and suddenly I felt myself back to square one.

Had I accomplished anything I had set out to do? I opted to travel back to the bazar where Patrice was already sitting impatiently waiting.

"So?" she quipped. I moved to stand near the counter.

"Link's Loftwing is missing, but I don't think the ceremony is going to start until they find it…" I trailed and could already see my sister wiggling in her seat. As I peered back to her she stood up and clasped her hands together with a desperate look.

"Oh we have to help look for it!" she announced. I gazed at her more.

"We?" I asked. Peatrice sighed before moving out from behind the counter. I eyed her more closely.

"Could you maybe watch the counter?" she asked nervously before pouting some more.

The kitten eyes didn't work, but at the same time, I had no interest in helping. I sighed before moving to sit in her spot, finding my cheek already meeting my hand. Maybe we were more alike than I realized. Still, Peatrice clapped excitedly before vanishing, her giddy laughter fading into the distance.

My mind trailed again as I realized that our job really was as mundane and maybe Peatrice's complaints were justifiable. I gazed over at Piper preparing a new meal and wondered for a moment if this really what life would be like forever. I had always assumed that I was happy and content with the way Skyloft had been treating me, but now, in a slight moment of thought I wondered if there was something more.

I had continued to daydream for the next who knows how long before urgently, Peatrice was back inside and when I snapped my head to gaze at her, I noticed it was growing dark outside. Then I noted the worried look on her face and I stood up quickly, my head going fuzzy momentarily.

"What?" was all I managed out before she grabbed my shoulders, her eyes wide.

"Link won!" she started and for a moment I wondered why her expression was so devastated for what seemed like something joyous. She seemed to notice my confusion before shaking me a bit. "But there was a _huge_ tornado!" she yelped, making my expression almost mirror hers. "Zelda is missing and Link is unconscious!" she explained before running towards the counter in despair. I felt my eyebrows crushing together in more confusion.

"Wait so where's Zelda?" I asked. Peatrice snuffled from her cave; her arms wrapped over her head as she sulked against the counter.

"I don't _know_," she snapped before looking off in the distance. "Oh Link…" she sighed and I did my best to ignore her. Moving away for a moment I found myself in the doorway of the bazar.

Outside the crowd had already gathered around Gaepora, their loud questions being waved at as he hurried towards the academy. Turning my attention towards the sky I noted the extreme change in atmosphere. Instead of a clear blue sky and gentle wind, there was an impending darkness and a harsh sting to the air.

Everything was about to change.


	2. The Night

It didn't surprise me to find monsters lurking the land of Skyloft the night of the Wing Ceremony. We had been instructed to stay in our homes, but as I snuck along the walls of the buildings I found other shadows of curiosity, lurking to find some sort of clue as to what happened. I could only assume that the storm that claimed Zelda was the cause of the change in scenery. Nighttime had never felt so terrifying.

I glanced up from where I stood behind the bazar, noting the silhouettes moving quickly in the Academy a few yards away. It didn't shock me to find knights flying in the sky either. We usually weren't allowed to fly at night to begin with, but the new situation almost called for a complete shutdown of the city. I watched closely then as the doors opened and almost wished my sister was there to see the sight; a strange form dressed in hues of blue and purple drifting only a few feet above the ground followed by who else but Link, newly garbed in green knights clothing.

I was more confused than anything; what looked like a regular person floating effortlessly as she guided him along the stairs towards the goddess statue. They drew close for only a moment and I felt my eyes widen more as I discovered the being had no real defining face, but most importantly, seemed almost transparent in the night sky. What I assumed as her voice sounded eerie, mystical even, as if she was void of personality.

As quickly as they had appeared I had felt my heart pick up. I wished to follow, and yet realized I could be risking too much. Deep down, I wondered if I had imagined the entire moment. Leaning against the wall, I managed to regain my thoughts as another body approached me. A quick exchange of shrieks and flurry of red led me to assume it was Karane, my guess proved right as she steadied herself near me.

"What are you doing out here?" she somewhat reprimanded, clutching her chest as she regained her breath. I skewed my lips to the side.

"I'm only a concerned citizen," I tried to sound as truthful as I could, knowing full well I was mostly out because Peatrice wanted me to do her dirty work for her. Karane perked an eyebrow up and let a soft smirk go.

"Peatrice?" she prompted and I couldn't help but laugh as I nodded.

"She just wants to know what is going to happen now…" I peered at her to find her in thought.

"Well…" she paused. "Link graduated and is technically in my class now so he'll join us in the hunt for Zelda," she glanced towards the goddess statue where he had run off to. "But I don't know how involved any one of us will be,"

"Huh?" I watched as her browed furrowed together.

"Gaepora has hinted that Zelda may have fallen beneath the clouds…" her lips fell into a frown. "She may have been lost to the _surface_," she glanced back up at me and I widened my eyes.

"Do you actually believe that?" I questioned. Karane tilted her head for a moment before sighing.

"I'm running out of theories to believe," she looked back to the academy. "Pipit thinks she's probably washed up on a low air island but…" she looked back to me. "Judging by how fast Link was running to the statue, something way beyond us might be happening,"

"I'm not going to even try and think about it then," I joked lightly, watching as a small smile formed on her lips.

"What will you tell your sister?" she asked then.

I tried not to overthink it as I laughed Karane off, finding my footing back to my home as she instructed. Peatrice wouldn't understand; that or she'd try to help way more than she was prepared to do. In a drastic way, I almost wanted to tell her to stop worrying, but I knew my words would go unnoticed. Being the sister I was I told her everything, and as she sat in stunned silence, I figured she would back off. I would come to find out that Peatrice always had something up her sleeve.

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><p>It wasn't until the next morning that I realized that Karane was right; whatever was happening was larger than what we could grasp. I had stepped out of the house only to find not only a blue sky but a new hue; a striking beam of green cascading from the heavens past the thick cloud. There were murmurs as I walked towards the bazar, a new found interest in if our goddess Hylia was testing us. Skyloft was all we knew and yet, in only a day everything we knew was being questioned.<p>

Peatrice's excited face only led me to believe she knew what was going on. I wasn't even to the counter when she stood up, her hands clasped tight together.

"He came to talk to me!" she spoke quickly and loudly, her eyes widening as she fidgeted near me. I sighed, sitting down next to her in the spare stool.

"Link?" I prompted. Peatrice nodded her head sharply before her smile faltered.

"He said he would have to take up using our business more because he was going on an adventure…" she sighed dreamily. "I'll see him more often now," I peered at her questionably.

"But if he's going on an adventure doesn't that mean he won't be here in Skyloft?" Peatrice only glared at me.

"When he comes back it will be to see me though," she rebutted, crossing her arms. I rolled my eyes before leaning against the counter some more.

"Where exactly is he going?" I asked, hoping for once I'd get a straight answer. Peatrice really frowned now, her eyes lowering.

"To find Zelda…" she breathed out again, looking away with a disappointed look. "That's what the green light in the sky is," she started. "It's supposed to help him reach the surface-"

"Wait," I stopped her before she could go on and brought me hands up in defense. "You think Link has gone down to the surface?" I asked before shaking my head in disbelieve. "What am I _saying_?" I closed my eyes tight for a moment, frustrated. "The surface is just a legend!" I looked at Peatrice as she sneered at me.

"Well where else could he be going?" she asked before softening her glance. "You should open your mind some more," her eyes developed a longing stare again and I couldn't help but sigh at her. "I'm just happy now that Link notices me for who I am…"

I turned from her daydreaming and watched as a sudden commotion started in the kitchen area of the bazar. Piper was caught up in a conversation with Professor Horwell and from what I could tell he looked a little flustered. Piper frowned before turning from him and almost noticing me watching, he glanced over, his features perking up before walking over. Peatrice paused in her ramblings quickly enough to stand to greet him.

"Oh Professor, are you here because of my letter?" she asked. I snapped my head to look at my sister in bewilderment. Just what had she done? "Is there anything my sister or I can do to help Li- I mean the Academy in their search?"

I had another urge to shove my sister into the thunderhead as she grinned madly at the professor. He chuckled at her before nodding, sending her into a squealing frenzy.

"I'm very appreciative of your enthusiasm," he blinked before glancing off in thought. "We need a back-up cook to provide to our knights on double patrol," he paused to glance back at Piper. "I unfortunately had a refusal due to her job here but would one of you have time to contribute?"

Suddenly Peatrice's expression fell and she began to pout.

"I… I'm not that great of a cook," she glanced down at me and I could already tell I was being volunteered for something without prior conversation. "But Penny is," she playfully nudged me and I secretly wished I could nudge her into the chest behind the counter and lock her in. Not wanting Professor Horwell to see my annoyed expression I pushed forward a smile.

"Would you like to help Miss Henya in the Academy cafeteria? I'm sure the students will be pleased," he glanced at both me and Peatrice and upon looking at her I was surprised to find a small smile. I could only offer one back at the two.

"Yes, sure," I agreed and watched as he nodded with a grin.

"Wonderful," he stepped back a bit but continued to speak. "Be ready and report tomorrow morning," he explained before finally leaving, prompting Peatrice to bump her hip against my own.

"Now you can dig up _more_ info," she pushed. I shook my head.

"I'm not going to be your spy…" I chastised, sitting down once more.

Peatrice broke out into another rant about the importance of her knowing everything; something along the lines of being able to help Link with advice when he returned. I tried to ignore her as much as I could and thought about the ramifications of there being more security being provided from the academy. Was this land in danger? Where had Zelda disappeared to and more importantly, could it really be the fabled surface?

Only time would tell.

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><p>Like Professor Horwell had instructed I had come prepared for work in the Academy kitchen. By the time the first day was over, however, I had truly underestimated how much a small fleet of knights ate. Henya had me working to the bone every moment; kneading dough for bread, mashing fruit for pies and breaking down meat for large vats of stew. I was only given breaks for the bathroom and she told me if I was hungry to just wait for leftovers, something that on the first day didn't happen. By the third day I had learned to bring my own lunch, stealing bites as I stirred large batters for cakes. It went on like this for about a week, my body exhausted when I got home and my mind being broken by Peatrice's constant questions.<p>

I had yet to "overhear" any news of the academy's search, except for the fact Link had been returning to the town almost every other day since he left, proving point that he was disappearing somewhere tangible. I still had a hard time believing it, but Peatrice pushed, wanting more details as if she was writing a book. I had seen him once when he came for a quick bite of food, his eyes looking tired and expression that of worry. To me, he knew more about the situation than anybody else, and judging by his silence at the table, he wasn't going to tell anybody; no matter how many times Groose and his henchmen probed him.

He had only been gone another day when Henya decided it would be good to make pumpkin cookies for the entire building, a task that ended up being easier than I had suspected. I was pulling out the last dozen when she started placing baskets out on the large table surface. I peered at her.

"What are you doing?" I asked as nicely as I could. I had been getting along with her, but Henya still had her moments of wild frustration at nothing. She gave a suspicious smile.

"We're going to deliver cookies to all the students!" she exclaimed, watching as she sat down. I walked over with the last tray and the instant my hands were empty she thrust six baskets towards me. I rolled my eyes.

"We means _me_, right?" I joked. Henya glared just as deeply as my sister did and I got the message, my footing fast as I left the room.

I had made it a point to reach the teachers first as they joined the patrol before sunset. Most were thankful but I couldn't help but note Headmaster Gaepora's saddened look as I left the room. It didn't surprise me to find Pipit and Karane in the library, their eyes drifting away from each other as I intruded. Feeling the tension I had darted out only to bump into Fledge who had pondered sharing his basket with Peatrice. After I awkwardly reassured him I felt my shoulders slump, already seeing the town bullies gathered around Groose's room. Cawlin had noticed me first and had Strich turn to face me as well. I blinked before noting Groose's closed door and shook my head, not bothered to ask where the redhead was.

"Here," I simply spoke, handing them both baskets. I was about to turn away when Cawlin reached out a bit, a fleeting gasp on his lips.

"Hey," he paused as I turned with a questionable look. "Have you seen Groose around?" he asked before looking to Strich. The taller boy sighed a bit.

"Boss man is missing and nobody has seen him," he explained. I raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's pretty good he's not here to bully the rest of us…" I started before noting their deep frowns. "Um…I'll let you know if I see him?" I tried to redeem myself but they simply entered the room, slamming the door shut in my face.

After a long sigh, I traveled back to the kitchen and continued to slave away with Henya. As the day dragged on, I was delighted by an early dismissal, Henya explaining she was caught up. I took the break quickly, almost running out the academy and towards my house, already wanting to sleep through the rest of the day. I slowed my walk as I neared the plaza and realized that Link had been back today, watching as he crossed my line of vision back towards the diving platform. I kept watching as he dove off and was about to go back to my business when another body dove off after him, and after the grey Loftwing rose from the clouds I realized Groose was following him.

At first I thought about going back to tell Cawlin and Strich but then remembered who they were. I blamed it on my tired mind and looked towards the path to my house, it seeming endless. I was only though the door for a second before I noticed Peatrice was there, her smile wide as she packed a bag. I raised an eyebrow, leaning against the closed door.

"What are you doing?" I asked, yawning as she dragged me towards the middle table.

"We're going…" she paused in thought and I looked at her in wait. She laughed nervously before nodding at me. "On a _picnic_," she giggled again and I groaned before waving my arm defensively.

"Who's watching the shop?" I asked, already knowing the answer. Peatrice tugged on my arm again, shoving the bag she had been stuffing over my shoulder. I titled a bit as I realized how weighted it was.

"Dad is!" she shifted her eyes again and I wondered what she was up to. "The weather is great and there's a perfect sky island next to Fun Fun Island," she spoke faster than I could register, knowing my mind was too tired to really listen.

I nodded and reluctantly let her lead me right back out of the house. After a rush to a diving platform she dived off in front of me, and before I was given the chance she appeared, hovering low enough so I could climb on behind her, turning to see Skyloft disappear in the clouds.

"Where are we going again?" I asked, looking back towards the view in front. Peatrice glanced back for a moment before pointing towards the green beam of light penetrating the clouds.

"_There_," she simply answered and I instantly felt my body tense.

"Peatrice," I could only feel my blood boiling. "What?" I couldn't form the words as her Loftwing approached, my body flinching as we passed through it momentarily and she began to circle, her head turning to gaze at me over her shoulder.

"So I think that it leads to the surface!" she shouted through the wind. I only widened my eyes as I gripped her side tighter. Peatrice offered a wide smile. "Do you think you can go see what Link is up to? Maybe he needs help!" she yelled and before I could react she was wiggling to peel me off of her. I resisted but found that my sister was stronger than I expected. I found myself dangling then, her hand holding mine as she flew lower to the clouds before she looked down at me again. "I'm sorry Penny!" she shouted before finally letting go, my body instantly falling through the clouds.

I'm sure my screams could have been heard from the thunderhead until my breath left me, my eyes tight until I realized I had been falling longer than I felt I should have. However, my heart sank, cursing my sister as I started welcoming my impending death. Where was I falling to? Surely it was nothingness. Even if there was a surface below I would not survive the fall. I couldn't help but panic as I closed my eyes again, feeling the tears prickle my eyes before feeling the world leave me, my body landing in what I could only assume as an eternal slumber.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the somewhat cliffhanger. The story really heats up next!**


	3. The Imprisoned

**A/N: So I better clarify that this isn't a romance between Groose and Link X(. Anyways, this should clear things up!**

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><p>All I could feel was warmth; arms gathering around me and with no effort, my body lifting. To me, I wondered if I had landed in the hands of the Goddess herself, and if this was now my afterlife. Whispers were the only indication that I was conscious. Then it happened. I could feel my heart beating.<p>

I was suddenly frightened. I was alive? How? Where was I? I had fallen through the clouds… but where was I?

The strain to my stomach hit me then and with a wince, I dared to open my eyes, my vision blurry at first. After blinking a few times I realized there was no way I was in Her Grace's arms. As I peered down I felt the blood rush to my head, the ground the only thing I could see. As I cranked my head upwards a bit my assumptions were correct, but almost instantly the fear took over and I started to squirm.

"Put me _down_!" I shouted, hearing a low grunt as I kicked at my carrier.

Almost instantly I found myself being dropped to the ground, my arms barely moving fast enough to brace my fall. I widened my eyes as an arm came to my view and turned myself around, my head spinning as I realized who I was with.

"You ok?" it was a softly asked question and I gulped a moment before realizing that Link really was offering help to stand up. I hesitated, still unsure if I was dead, alive, or stuck in a nightmare. I brushed at my shirt for a moment before glancing over to Groose, who already had an offensive stance.

"Did you _have_ to carry me like that?" I snapped, glaring. Link frowned next to me.

"I'll take that as a yes…" he mumbled to himself before turning to walk, my body instantly moving to follow. Groose chuckled, crossing his arms as if to mock me.

"I only did it so Link could carry your bag," he spoke, and I looked to find it wrapped around his shoulder. I blinked then, pausing as I realized the scenery.

Trees. These trees were anything but the trees back on Skyloft. They stood taller than the horizon, the sky only visible through the crevices left by branches and leaves. My breath left me again, simply overwhelmed by the color and sight. Link and Groose seemingly turned back at the same time and I could only let the confusion appear on my face.

"Where are we?" I whispered. Link could only offer a small smile before waving towards the ground.

"The surface," he simply spoke. I couldn't help but widen my eyes a bit before moving to catch up with them, wondering just how this could be happening. I looked to Groose momentarily only to find him already looking at me. Our eyes met for a moment but almost instantly we glared and looked back to where Link was leading us.

"When Groose fell through with me I didn't expect you to follow as well," he joked, turning to help me with the incline of the hill that led to a large stone door. I could only nod. "Your fall was slowed by the Bird Statue," he offered and I only stared back. Groose bumped into me as we walked through the door and I ignored it as I noticed the presence of somebody else, an old woman already peering at me and Groose. Link looked around before pointing towards a door. "Maybe it would be better if you guys waited outside… I promise to explain everything soon,"

I still felt strange about the entire situation, but silently agreed, moving towards the other door. Once outside I was bombarded again by the atmosphere. I gasped at the sight; flowers and vines covered the door and as I stepped forward, a giant crater in the Earth had me staring in half fear, half wonder. I turned to see if Groose had followed, but was almost grateful he hadn't. I flinched as an animal landed at my feet and after observation, I felt confused again as it appeared to be a tiny Loftwing.

Figuring I had nothing better to do I sat down in the grass, breathing deep as the reality of my being here hit. I had closed my eyes when I heard a commotion leaking out of the large room we had just been in, and after only hearing Groose's voice, I turned watching as he huffed out, his footing speeding towards me.

"I bet if you hadn't followed me down here I'd be able to help out!" he paused and I furrowed my eyebrows together.

"Excuse me?" I snapped, moving head more so I could see his face.

"That old lady kicked me out saying I 'wouldn't be the one to save Zelda'," he grumbled some more before rolling his eyes, arms still crossed over his chest. "What does she know?" he asked rhetorically. I smirked to myself, wondering if he even knew the word. I moved to stand.

"First of all, I _didn't_ follow you," I brushed the grass from my pants before standing up straight. "You can thank my sister for shoving me off her Loftwing," I explained, watching as he raised an eyebrow. "Secondly, I don't even know what's going on-"

A slow rumble in the ground cut me off, my hand hanging in the air as I pointed at him. He stared back with a blank face and I couldn't help but widen my eyes as the rumble occurred again, this time sending a tremor beneath my feet. I gulped, and watched as the confusion started to appear on his face as well. The large doors opened again and after a moment, Link was running towards us, only pausing momentarily before leaping off the edge, my eyes going wide again as Groose and I both ran to ledge to see where he had gone. I was only slightly relieved to see him gliding down towards the very bottom of the crater, using a cloth to slow his fall. It was then that I saw the spike in the ground and what looked like black smoke seeping from it. Groose and I leaned more over the ledge.

"What…" I trailed before the Earth rumbled more intensely before, my body reluctant to allow his arm to yank us back a bit.

I pulled myself off of him and peered down again only to see the cause of the rumble; a large blob of a demon, something that I felt couldn't have even been found in a nightmare. Almost instantly I leaped backwards with a scream, only to find Groose right behind me, his hands on my shoulders as he moved to look over the ledge, almost as if he was using me as a shield. The beast roared and proceeded to move and only then did I start wiggling, trying to get as far away as possible. Maybe this Bird Statue that Link had mentioned had a way of taking me back home. I brought my hands up and tugged at Groose's only to find him gripping me tighter, his body obviously shaking. I rolled my eyes, amazed at how some people portrayed fear.

"Let me go," I grunted, pausing in my wiggling to glance over my shoulder at him. His eyes were wide and he didn't move.

"Maybe if we stay still it won't see us," he spoke with a low voice.

I let my expression fall before looking back down to see Link running in and out between the beast's legs, his sword seemingly doing damage to the beast. Just as I assumed, the beast fell, the Earth shook again and we simultaneously flinched, watching as Link bashed the stake back through its head, the beast pausing for a moment before turning white and dissipating to the hole it came from. I could sense Groose was peering down with me and quickly, Link placed the stake back in the ground. I gulped, growing even more concerned. Link made his way up to us rather quickly and when he did I could only see a small smirk on his face. I raised an eyebrow.

"You guys ok?" he asked and then I realized what he was seeing.

Groose still stood behind me, his hands clutched to my shoulders, my arms folded up so my hands could hold his. Almost as soon as he spoke we had jumped away from each other, Groose running at Link, already bombarding him with questions. I couldn't help but want to follow as well, wanting answers myself. Link shrugged as the old lady inside looked to us, and eyed me closely.

"It is not safe for them to be here," she spoke to Link. He sighed.

"I know," he scratched the back of his head. "But it's also not safe for me to take them back," I decided to listen and ask questions later. The old woman let out a reluctant sigh.

"You are correct," she glanced up a bit towards where sunlight was leaking into the room. "It would risk the location of this temple,"

Temple. I felt my mind toss more questions around and simply let my eyebrows furrow more together. Link then stepped towards the woman.

"Where do I go now?" he asked. She was about to respond when Groose decided it would be a good idea to join in.

"Whoa, why can't I help?" he asked, his head shifting to look at both of them. The old woman simply shook her head.

"It is not part of your destiny-"

Almost immediately Groose let out a large aggravated sigh before storming past us and back outside, where I could only assume he was wallowing in his own self-pity. I glanced at Link momentarily and he nodded towards the door. Reluctantly I turned, wondering why I had become a babysitter now.

_Peatrice_

I sighed through my nose before venturing outside only to find Groose facing another wall, his fists pounding the stone in anger. I hesitated to approach him, and as I did I still couldn't help but watch what I assumed were birds fly away from his feet. He paused in his fight with the wall to per over his shoulder.

"Here to tell me how useless I am?"

I felt guilt hit my heart hard before realizing just who had said it. My mind seriously had to adjust too much information in so little amount of time. Was Groose…upset? I lifted my hand up and let my lips part, trying to form the right words.

"You shouldn't be so…" I gulped, finding the words too strange on my tongue. "_Hard_ on yourself," I finished, finding my hand awkwardly patting him on the back. He turned then and tilted his head to the side.

"You're right," he paused and I realized he was trying to push his overbearing personality to the front again. "_You're_ the one who's going to be useless,"

I had reached out to smack him when Link appeared, his face even more tired than I had seen him last in Skyloft.

"Hey," he greeted before looking back to the temple. "It would be safe for you guys to stay in her protection until this…_this_ is over…" he trailed and judging by our silence he decided to continue. "I have a heavy burden at the moment and will help you guys as much as I can, but I've got to find Zelda," he lowered his eyes and I could almost tell he had already seen her once. For once I understood what Peatrice was going on about, at far as what longing looked like. Then I realized that my sister never had a chance with the man in green standing in front of me. Nodding, I pushed forward the bravest smile I could muster.

"You don't have to worry about us, Link," I held my breath as I patted Groose's shoulder again. "We can survive," I looked to the pouting redhead and tried to give him a reassuring smile. He sighed before nodding.

"I'm still going to find a way to help…" he spoke. Link smiled at the both of us before nodding, pointing back to the temple.

"I'll be back sometime soon," he explained.

In a short goodbye, Link was gone and suddenly I felt myself bestowed with a heavy burden. Slowly turning I could already see Groose in thought, knowing there could be no good to come out of his brain, let alone his mouth. He looked around again before nodding to himself.

"It's time to start building _Grooseland_,"

_I'm going to murder you, Peatrice_.


	4. The Rain

I couldn't help but feel my heart sink into my stomach as I peered down the large crater in the sealed grounds. The atmosphere had changed almost drastically the moment the Imprisoned has been sealed again and yet, the small tremors in the earth were terrifying. Link had since disappeared to the sky still working on a mission I was still unsure of.

Groose was equally as silent nearby where I sat at the edge, his face solemn as Link left, the old woman noting his impatience. All Groose wanted to do was save Zelda, something he was not "destined" to do. Yet, at every given moment he was asking what could be done to help; it was a drastic change from the Groose I knew back in Skyloft.

It wasn't long before he decided to build a protective ramp along the rim of the crater, something he dubbed, _The Groosenator_. I wasn't too excited about the project, but figured it would keep him busy, especially after he explained he wouldn't need my help. Calling me useless, I stormed off, and found myself back at the crater, feeling more resentful than ever. I sat there, peering down as black wisps of energy leaked from the seal, and suddenly feared if next time we wouldn't be able to stop it.

The wind picked up slightly and I closed my eyes, breathing in the air that was so different from Skyloft's. It was calming, to say the least, to know that for now we were safe. I turned my head slightly as the grass around me crunched and for a moment I thought it would be the woman protecting the temple but instead it was Groose, his mouth skewed and eyebrow raised. I lowered my eyes and looked away as he went to speak, still brewing over his comment to me. I wasn't ready to forgive.

"Oi," he groaned, leaning down behind me and breathing out. "Don't ignore me!" he pleaded, moving his head to peer at me. I glared out of the corner of my eye before closing them again, shaking my head.

"Just go back to building your stupid ramp, Groose," I urged, crossing my arms over my chest.

After a few moments, the grass shifted more and as I turned to look to see if he was gone, I flinched, startled by his now closer proximity. Letting out a sharp yelp, I felt my thighs slip against the edge of the hill and reached out, not expecting his hands to grab my arms as I nearly slipped over the edge. I scrambled to get away from both the ledge and him, my heart pounding against my chest. Groose let out a chuckle before noting my even more frustrated expression, my knees shaking as I stood up and leaned against the nearby tree. He followed quickly, almost mocking me as he walked slowly towards me.

"Why are you so mad at me?" he pouted, arching his eyebrows. I continued to let out labored breaths, still terrified by the almost fall. Shaking my head, I pushed my arm out so he wouldn't come any closer.

"You are just so mean!" I yelled, finally feeling my breaths come back to me. "I'm going back home the moment Link gets back!" I threatened, turning to start walking back towards the temple. I could hear his footsteps behind me.

"Like Link has time for that?" he asked, rushing to walk next to me. I moved to walk faster. He copied. "You even said that he didn't need to worry about taking us back until he saved Zelda," his voice trailed and I paused for a moment, watching as he stopped as well. "Just _tell_ me what I did wrong!" he threw his arms out and I instantly turned again, rushing through the temple doors towards the small garden.

"I can see your true intentions!" I mumbled, turning as he continued to follow me. As I stopped, he tilted his head. "You aren't helping Link to help him; you're doing it to impress Zelda, even though she's not around!" I huffed and he frowned, throwing me off guard. "You're too focused on yourself and forgetting the feelings of others," I finished. Groose pursed his lips before hanging his head down.

"You're right," he spoke, and for a moment I felt the wiring in my brain malfunction. Groose the bully of Skyloft had admitted he was wrong. "But I _do_ want to help in any way," he admitted, glancing up for a moment. I let my crossed arms relax a bit before frowning myself, wondering if I was being too hard on him.

"Is that why you're building the ramp?" I asked softly. Groose looked up, his expression only slightly returned back to normal before nodding.

"That _thing_ is gonna keep coming back until Link takes care of business," he paused, his lively expression coming back in full swing. "So when it does, I hope to help teach it a lesson," finally he grinned, and stared at me. "I just want to help," his smile faltered for only a moment. "Even in the end, if things don't go my way, I'll find a way to cope…"

"You mean Zelda?" I asked. Groose glanced away, his cheeks tinting in a light pink.

"I mean if she doesn't like me ok, I guess that will be ok," he moved to scratch the back of his head. "Back home, I mean, your sister is kinda cute…" he trailed off as his face flushed a new shade of color as he caught my eyes.

And then it happened; my heart skipped a beat and my sub-conscious moved to beat it up. Why did that just happen? Was I just jealous of my sister for a moment after a passing phrase that was most likely a joke? My ears twitched backwards as I felt them heat up, my lips unable to form words to negate the situation in my mind.

Groose stood staring at me for a moment before almost realizing what he had said. The conversation and atmosphere had suddenly turned a sharp corner that neither of us expected. Suddenly, he was awkwardly standing staring at me and as I felt my face heat up, I turned, my thoughts running a mile a minute. Back home I would have just turned and run to my sister, laughing as I informed her that the local dufus thought she was pretty and it would have been the joke of two sisters. Today I stood conflicted, knowing that, like Link, we had both started to see a new side of him, something that was confusing, but wasn't all that bad. Here, I felt that I would keep the information to myself, wondering why he thought my kid sister was cute, but I wasn't.

Shaking my head at the thought I breathed out, and looked back to find Groose glancing every-which-way but at me. Finally he noticed and offered a smile before shoving a thumb over his shoulder.

"I'm going to go look for more wood for my ramp," he turned to look at the door on the opposite side of the building. "Something to pass the time," he concluded. I nodded but after he didn't budge I raised an eyebrow. He offered a more sheepish grin than before. "Wanna help?"

I tried not to laugh at how the question rolled off his tounge. I wanted desperately to be sarcastic and passive aggressive; ask him why now he was asking for help from the 'useless one'. Was he trying to compensate or apologize? However, and just as quickly as I had stormed into the temple, I was walking out on the other side with him, watching as Groose jumped ahead towards the gate to the forest. It made me anxious; I was still not used to the sight of large trees and so far, we had been warned by Link of monsters that lurked. As I slowly walked after Groose, I wondered how we would protect ourselves if an encounter perspired.

After walking a short distance, I watched Groose start rolling a medium sized log towards me eagerly.

"Brace it against the tree!" he instructed, moving towards another tree that had an axe leaning against it. I widened my eyes as I leaned over, holding the log still.

"Where did that come from?" I asked. Groose shrugged as he moved to chop the log into smaller, lighter bits.

"Probably belongs to a monster," he spoke without worry in his tone, and yet, as I widened my eyes, I decided to think not much of it, wondering just what type of troubles Groose had already gotten himself into.

After a few chops he stopped, wiping his brow before leaning down again and handing me a chunk of the wood. Quickly, we carried them back to the temple, the trek up the hill growing increasingly difficult with more exercise. I felt labored, but felt no urge to stop until we were done transporting at least this one log. After several trips we made it back to the log and after observing Groose sit down on the log, I followed suit, breathing out as I felt my muscles relax a bit. He chuckled lightly before glancing at me with curious eyes.

"So are you really already ready to go back home?" he asked. The question caught me off guard and I looked at him as my labored breath subsided.

"Did I say that?" I asked, wondering what else I had said in my fit of rage earlier. Groose suppressed a laugh and nodded. "Well, no…" I trailed off. "I think I can wait until Link has time," I let my eyes trail away. Groose nodded.

"I could use the help anyways," he suddenly spoke, urging my eyes back to his.

When did we all of sudden become buddy-buddy? Was it something in the air? It must have been the situation; forced to put any ill feelings away and focus on a goal I was still confused about; protect the temple. He smiled and I remembered exactly why I had gotten mad in the first place.

"Not so useless, am I?" I teased, crossing my arms again.

Groose let out a hearty laugh at me then, his arm moving around my shoulder to pull me closer as he did so. His other hand met my head and he patted down, my arms moving to flail at the sudden action. It was what he did to Cawlin and Strich; something I would have never expected to happen to me, especially now. The laughter subsided and I finally moved my head to gaze up at him when I found the most serious expression one could ever hope to find on a person.

He was sorry.

I knew I would never get those words out, but the hidden solemn in his eyes were good enough for me. His arm relaxed a bit then, and as I leaned back, I couldn't help but note something else hidden behind the golden stare. I gulped, and by the power of the goddesses, I was blessed by a distracting sound from the heavens. We titled our heads back simultaneously and after a few moments, an immense shake from the ground made my heart sink; did the Imprisoned break free once more? My hand subconsciously wrapped tight around Groose's and as I continued to stare up, I let out a scream as it lit up in a fury of lines, my heart racing at the sight. Suddenly the sky was falling and all I could do was wonder if I was going to die. I looked back to find Groose holding back a grin and felt confused.

"What is going on?" I half yelled, feeling my hair and clothes become consumed with wetness. Groose held out a hand and let the droplets pool in his hand.

"It's just water!" he explained. "Link told me it about it…" he continued. "It's _rain _," he laughed some more and I relaxed a bit before I realized we were both slowly getting drenched in the water, even though we were hidden by the dense branches of the trees.

Groose moved to stand and just as I was about to follow, a new noise echoed a little closer to us and as I turned, I found a red figure already on the offensive, it's arm already outstretched as it knocked me out of the way. I felt my body roll a bit in the grass and after a few moments of shock I turned my head, gasping out as in a quick motion Groose hit the beast back with the axe, the monster almost instantly rushing back towards the deeper woods. I closed my eyes then, heart racing as I heard footsteps draw closer. I opened my eyes to find Groose's worried expression more than new, but almost something I had been longing to see.

"Penny," he had never said my name before and now, my own name sounded like a foreign language. I felt dizzy, but wondered if the hit to my head was doing more to me than hurt my skull. I moved my arms and after slight help from the man we were standing again and I reached up to pat my head. "Are you alright?" he asked, frowning a bit.

My words left me and I shrugged, peering down to see a few scrapes on his arm, presumably from the fight with the red beast. Reluctantly, he turned, but reached back to grab my hand, his body moving slowly and yet with urgency back towards the hill. My head ached as we paused at the hill towards the temple, Groose sighed, looking to the vine covered wall.

"It's too slippery to walk," he explained before letting go of me and moving to grip the vines a bit.

It was a short climb, but still something I knew my body couldn't handle in this situation. I swayed a bit and sarcastically chuckled as Groose climbed up easily, wondering if he expected me to do the same. After a moment, he leaned down and offered his hands to pull me up and I felt my body tense up. Soon, however, I reached up and he gripped my forearms, my hands hesitating to clench back before he pulled me up and helped me stand before the mood changed once more. My head was fuzzy and I couldn't help but attribute it to my fall to the ground thanks to the monster attack. I struggled to keep my balance and wondered if this type of situation happened in Skyloft Groose would have been there to balance me as I wobbled.

"Grannie should be able to help," he urged. I wanted to move with him, but felt my knees shake at the very thought of walking. Reluctantly, I pulled on his arm and watched as his expression didn't change as he leaned down slightly before cupping my knees, my body swaying slightly as he picked me up. His movements picked up a bit as we entered the temple again, the doors slamming closed behind him compelling the woman to shuffle towards us.

"What happened?" she compelled. I winced.

"Monster," I mumbled as Groose moved to sit me down on the nearby steps. He stood near me and after the woman peered at me some more, she cupped my head in her hand and sighed, my eyes suddenly widening as I almost instantly felt the dizziness fade away. She offered a small smile as she turned from us, pointing towards the fire I assumed she had built near the garden where Link had dumped off my bag of supplies.

"Be thankful Link provided you with provisions," she moved to walked back towards the sealed doors in the back of the room. Groose peered at me and raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Now are you alright?" he asked. I nodded, still unsure of what had just happened.

As we migrated towards the fire, the realization that I was covered head to toe in water made me shiver. Groose sat down on the stool next to the fire and instantly started removing his boots. I chewed on my lip then, kneeling down to dump my bag out on the ground. Out of the many food bundles and blankets came a few changes of clothes, even a tunic that belonged to my father. I sighed as I gripped one, not caring that it was a simple dress; it would be fine until my clothes dried. I looked back at Groose and found him already staring back. I felt the heat hit my cheeks once more.

"Uh," I let out a nervous chuckle before moving my hand a bit. "Could you turn around?" I asked politely.

Groose's eyes widened before he swiveled around and after watching him tug at his own shirt, I turned on my heel, reaching down to remove the layers of clothes, each soaked in water. I shivered as my body made contact with the air of the temple, the gentle wind from outside tracing itself along my bare side. I let the smooth warm fabric of my dress engulf me, and after replacing my wet undergarments, I peered over my shoulder to see Groose's head pointed at the ceiling. I gripped my hair to wring out the water before moving towards him with my wet clothes, making sure to keep my eyes focused on laying them out so they could dry.

"There's some of my Dad's clothes in the bag," I informed before he moved back towards the pile.

As I moved to sit down in front of the fire, I wondered to myself if I would really be able to survive on the surface. Already I had proven that I was useful, until knocked out by both water and demon. Shaking my head, I realized that today had been a strange day for my emotions. I had tried to manipulate Groose into apologizing, and then got jealous when he complemented my sister. I saw a side of Groose I _liked_, and it wasn't as repulsive as it would have sounded back home.

I rattled my head again and found a shadow over me. I leaned back a bit as I titled my head, only to feel the warmth creep back on my cheeks as Groose approached, his hand clenching both a small blanket and the spare shirt. His usually ridiculous hair fell flat against his head and unwillingly, my eyes dropped for a moment to find a bare chest, it puffed out as if intentionally. I moved my head back towards the fire and blushed more madly as he sat down, his smirk heard over the crackle of the fire.

"You keep shaking your head," he paused as he placed the blanket-towel down so he could pull his shirt over his head. "Everything ok?" he asked. I felt my lips fall in a faint pout. Was he mocking me again? I decided not to answer and instead leaned back on my hands, continuing to stare at the fire. Groose's head leaned into my line of vision and I hesitated to look at him.

"What?" I asked, frowning some more. Groose copied my expression.

"I'm asking if you're alright," he spoke softly, pouting. I sighed, realizing I was judging his past character again. Slowly, I nodded, closing my eyes again as I sat up a little more, placing my hands back in my lap. Groose's arm made its way around my shoulder for the second time making me wonder where his intentions were heading. "Good," he mumbled as I glanced up at him, wondering just what the hell he was doing. Seeing that his arm didn't budge from my back I sighed and looked back to the fire.

"I can't believe I'm saying it but," I couldn't help but chuckle, more so at myself. "Thank you for saving me…" I skewed my lips to the side, widening my eyes at the fire as Groose's arm twitched slightly.

"Huh?" he breathed and I moved my head to see his surprised reaction.

"Are you ok?" I asked hesitantly. Groose nodded, but struggled to keep eye contact.

"I just…" he paused. "Never thought I'd hear that," he finished, pursing his lips together in obvious thought. Did I break Groose? I smiled softly and watched as his arm retracted back to lap, his expression softened and I felt that I had my answer. I broke Groose.

"I'm sorry what I said about your sister earlier," he suddenly said and as I snapped my head to peer at him, he was now holding a sheepish smile behind a red face. "Well, I mean, your sister is cute and all but…" he pushed the grin through. "So are you," he finished, glancing back to the fire as he suppressed a laugh, making me wonder if he was now trying to break me with a cruel joke.

I decided not to respond and turned my own head back to the fire, my small smile the only evidence I had heard him. In my head, it was a different story. If he _was_ telling the truth then… sure, I was pretty, but how did I compare to the others? Am I cute _like_ my sister or am I _cuter_ than her? Suddenly the thought came to my head; did he think I was cuter than Zelda? My head ached at the childish banter my brain was having with my heart and I sighed before closing my eyes, just wondering what my emotions were doing to me, when it was obviously a prank. I sat in silence next to Groose, closer than I would have ever imagined _ever_ and yet, in a strange sense, in this moment, I wouldn't of had it any other way.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh man, this chapter I actually wrote long before I decided to actually make a real story out of a crazy dream I had (basically this). Anyways, can things stay peachy?**


	5. The Lesson

The warmth that I found surrounding me as I awoke the next morning had me wondering if I was back in my bed in Skyloft. The soft sounds of the wind in the distance and the sweet smell of grass just outside was something I was too accustomed with to mistake. Yet, when I finally allowed my eyes to open, I found that I was right where I had been the day before; the surface.

More importantly though, I realized I was sleeping on the ground, the deep moss grass seemingly more comfortable than any bed I had ever slept in. One of the blankets Peatrice had packed was now covering me, and I only had one guess as to how it got there. I felt a small smile creep along my lips before I rolled away from the now dead fire, my eyebrows rising as I noticed Groose's absence. After realizing that the front temple door was slightly askew, I leaned up and after stretching, moved to stand.

The air outside was just as refreshing as it was inside the temple, and as I leaned against the large door, I couldn't help but gaze up at the clear sky. As my vision lowered, I couldn't help but feel floored by the sight. Somehow, during the night or the morning, a wooden bridge was now overhead the walkway to the temple and judging by the large pile of planks a few feet away, there was more to be done.

"Oi!" I glanced back over to the bridge to find Groose standing on it, waving his arm in the air. I laughed lightly to myself before walking over, watching as he steadied the ladder I could only assume he had also built. As he helped me climb atop, I looked over to see more piles of wood ready to be placed down.

"Were you up all night?" I asked, peering back to find him also admiring his work. He eagerly nodded.

"I found a stamina potion in that bag," he explained. I nodded and glanced around, pointing to the piles.

"So this is going to go all the way around?" I asked. Again, Groose nodded.

"I'm going to lay a track and-" I widened my eyes.

"Like a _metal_ track?" I questioned. Groose raised an eyebrow.

"Link said that he found a desert that has some tracks that he wouldn't mind bringing back," he paused in thought. "Kind of funny, though, he mentioned something about a robot friend of Gondo's…" he trailed and I felt that familiar confusion come to my mind.

"The… blacksmith?" I paused as he simply nodded. "I'm going to stop asking questions now," I proceeded to joke. Groose laughed a bit with me and I looked back at the bridge. "Anything I can do to help?"

Groose raised an eyebrow and eyed me and I felt self-conscious, before I realized I was still in the same dress as the night before, it covered in grass, and wondered if my hair was even in place. Lowering my eyes, I realized I was still barefoot, and could only offer a sheepish smile. Groose laughed a bit more before shaking his head.

"The _hero_ came through this morning," he paused to cross his arms and slightly pout. "He said that we could explore the forest if we wanted,"

"Isn't there monsters?" I worried, already remembering what had happened the previous day with a solemn look. Groose shook his head a bit.

"You underestimate me," he slyly responded before puffing his chest out a bit. "Don't you think I can outsmart them?"

I couldn't help but laugh. As we made our way back to the temple, Groose explained he was looking for something that would work as a catapult. It sounded crazy in my head, but in only a day I had learned that here, anything could happen. He had walked out the other door, and after I changed back into my now dry clothes, I grabbed the bag Peatrice had knocked me down here with, stuffing it with the few empty bottles she had also provided.

The walk along the path was for the most part silent; I thought it was on purpose, but when I turned to look at Groose, I found him glancing at the skyline. I had to remind myself that he too had only been here a day and as far as I knew it was his first time going this far into the forest. The path we had decided to follow was littered with giant mushrooms, something that was unusual at first sight, but grew fun as we realized they were pretty much the same as the ones we could find hidden on some of the smaller islands in the sky. After pausing to collect some of the spores, we moved on, and soon found a view that to me at least, was breathtaking.

In the distance sat a tree, and it wasn't just any tree; it stood a hundred times larger than any tree on the horizon. I could already tell it was a staple to this forest.

"Let's go the-" I barely got my thought out before I tripped over what I at first thought was a rock, but as I braced myself against the tree, I realized it was moving and whatever it was, had arms. "What…" I looked to Groose for answers, but ultimately found him already hiding behind a large mushroom. I struggled to find my thoughts as the being continued to wiggle.

"Oh please! _Kweee _don't hurt me!" for a moment it listed up its head and I gasped a bit at the sight of its eyes, it's hands still flailing at its side.

"Oh…" I gulped, not entirely convinced I was really about to talk to an animal. "I'm not going to hurt you…" I tried. It lifted its head more and I watched the grass like tail retract into some sort of bun.

"What about…" it blinked and I glanced back up at Groose who was now just hesitantly coming out from hiding.

"Um, don't' worry, he's a friend," I urged, and questioned the words in my own mind.

Was Groose really now a friend or was I just saying that to make the animal happy? Nevertheless I watched as it finally stood up and instantly, felt my heart swoon at its adorableness. It raised a hand to its face, as much as it could with its short arms. Still, it stepped a little closer to me as Groose finally approached, before squeaking again.

"Are you like Link _kweee_?" it asked and instantly, I nodded, kneeling down to talk with it at its level.

"You know Link?" I asked and watched as it shook its body in what I assumed as agreement. "We are friends of his," I explained. "I'm Penny, this is Groose," I pointed and watched as the animal then wiggled some more in excitement.

"_Kweee_! I'm Machi!" it announced before turning slightly and acknowledging the tree. "Link had helped me get back home to my leader, but he said it was safe to roam around again… I thought you were monsters!" Machi leaned its head into its hand again before squeaking again. I looked back at Groose who still seemed suspicious of the animal.

"Do you know where we might find a large basin?" I asked, knowing that it was what Groose wanted to be searching for to begin with. Machi nodded before pointing towards another path we had not traveled yet.

"I use it as a bath _kwee_," he paused. "There's a pond that the lake flows into near the temple…" I raised an eyebrow at the mention of another temple.

Groose shrugged and at first, we were hesitant to move and leave the animal behind. He finally started to walk ahead of us and after a moment of realizing how slow he was, I opted to pick him up, realizing how soft the little guy was. When we arrived at the pond, I didn't realize how crystal clear the waters would be. Machi jumped from my arms and after leading Groose to the bowl-basin that lay near the water's edge, I couldn't help but admire the view of the water that flooded the walkway towards the temple, and wondered just what kind of secrets could be inside. Still, we had discovered a place where we could get fresh water and hopefully, a good bath.

"Oi!" Groose's yell yanked my attention back to him where he was already struggling to budge the large stone basin. I moved to stand next to him, and after we both struggled to make it budge, he frowned, his arms already tight against his chest. "Great. This was _perfect_ for the Groosenator…" he began.

I frowned with him and peered back down at Machi who was already distracted by something else, by the time my vision glanced up to see what he was looking at, he had darted towards the watery walkway as Link approached. I smiled and breathed out, relieved to see another familiar face.

"You met Machi," he started, as the little guy continued to admire Link. I nodded before glancing back at Groose who seemed bothered by Link's presence. I decided not to push it and pointed towards the basin.

"We could use a little help getting this back to the temple," I explained. Link nodded and at first I thought he was going to move to help us but he stayed still.

"Fi," he simply spoke and just as I had thought that I was prepared to see everything, a body transmitted itself out of the sword on Link's back and as it hovered in front of him, I remembered it as the same spirit that he had followed the night of the Wing Ceremony.

"Master Link, you called?" her voice was just as hypnotic as before and for a moment, I glance to find Groose holding the same confused stare. Link just offered a small smile before looking back at Fi.

"Can you call for Scrapper?" he asked.

"Yes Master," she nodded. "I will signal the robot with a telepathic transmission," she looked to the sky, and almost simultaneously, we all followed suit, even Machi and watched as quickly, what I could only describe as another unknown being. Something that looked like a small statue attached to a propeller. It lowered itself above us and instantly, moved its hands, which were attracted to its body by a force I couldn't understand.

"Mistress Fi!" Its voice was harder to understand, and sounded even more foreign than Fi's did. "Master Shortpants…" his tone lowered and judging my Link's expression, I could tell this was how it always was. "Bzzt, what can I do for you, Mistress Fi?" he asked eagerly. Link cleared his throat and pointed to the basin.

"Can you carry that to the sealed grounds?" he asked anxiously. Finally Groose stood up and lifted his hand a bit.

"Make sure it lands on the ramp!" he exclaimed. I watched as a small banter occurred between Link, the robot he had mentioned to Groose named Scrapper and Fi before Scrapper picked up the basin with ease and flew up again, leaving us behind. Link looked to us and I just shook my head.

"I'm not going to ask…" I explained before he nodded.

"Well… I have to head back to Skyloft," he looked to Groose first before glancing back at me. "I'll try and bring back some more care packages," he offered and before we knew it, he had disappeared into the woods once more. I peered back to Groose only to find him annoyed, but didn't dare to ask. As we reached the fork in the path back in the woods, Groose walked ahead and I turned to Machi.

"If you need help, you can find us in the temple just through that gate," I explained. Machi squeaked.

"_Kwee_," it shook in agreement. "If you need me I'll be here," he spoke and with a small goodbye, I rushed to catch up with the still brooding Groose. He walked with his arms crossed and for a moment, I thought about trying to cheer him up. Observing his expression, I noticed that his hair was once again in its usual pompadour, and wondered just how long it had been back to normal since the night before. The rain had flattened it out, and yet, it looked as if it was just grown that way. He looked down at me then and raised an eyebrow. I smiled.

"How'd you get your hair back that way?" I asked, wanting to not talk about his other issues. Groose huffed, looking back at where he was walking.

"Like I'd tell you," he mumbled. I rolled my eyes.

"Trust me, I'm not going to steal your secret and do it myself," it seemed that my joke had landed on deaf ears and after skewing my lips to the side in disappointment, I found Groose looking back at me.

"Do you think you could help me with something?" he asked with his voice a bit low. I kneaded my eyebrows together before nodding and pausing in my steps as he did. "Could you help me convince Zelda, whenever she gets back…" he paused to scratch the back of his head, and already I could tell where this was going. "To consider me and not _that_ dufus?"

I lowered my eyes, annoyed that this is what he had requested of me. Crossing my arms, I simply glared at him before shaking my head. He proceeded to ignore me as he glanced away from me, his hand still pressed to the back of his neck.

"I mean, Link obviously _likes_ you, so maybe you can just use that so I have less competition," I widened my eyes even more at him as he continued. "Or you could talk to him about your sister, I mean your sister likes Link, right?" he asked and when he finally looked to me, he finally stopped. I gripped my arms tighter before shaking my head again.

"Groose," I started before lifting my arms up defensively. "I'm not going to help you set people up," I spoke, only to find him coming back in defense.

"Why not?" he asked, his hands landing on his hip. I sighed heavily and waved my arms again.

"Listen, if it's meant to be, its meant to be," I paused, feeling more frustrated than angry. Groose's stance made it seem like he wasn't going to let up. "We shouldn't mess around with anybody's destiny, you know," I finally offered and after watching his eyes dart across my face, he crunched his eyebrows together and sharply turned walking towards the temple. I stayed still and watched him wave back at me without looking.

"Whatever, man," he started. "I knew you would be useless..." his voice trailed as he went around the corner, and after feeling my blood start to boil, I decided it would be safer if I wasn't forced to share close quarters with him for a while. Turning, I marched right back into the woods to find Machi already looking up at me confused.

"_Kwee_, is Penny alight?" it asked and I softly smiled before nodding.

"I'm going back to the pond," I explained. "Would you like to come with?" I asked. Machi eagerly nodded and followed me through the pathway, which I had just come from only moments before.

The moment we were back by the water, I moved to sit on the small staircase, watching as Machi simply walked into the shallow water that covered the walkway. I slipped off my boots and followed, sitting on the last step uncovered by water so just my feet submerged. I could already feel the frustration melting away, and yet, I was still convinced that even if I stayed quiet and kind to Groose, he was still a bully at heart, and knew how to push buttons, even when he didn't fully realize he was doing so.

I closed my eyes and leaned back, before looking to the sky. It had only been one day and Groose and I had gone from a mutual dislike to bet buds to dysfunction again. How long Link's journey would be would decide how long Groose and I had to camp it out here in the woods and the sacred grounds. The old lady was good company as well, but she was quiet company for the most part. I frowned again, and decided to try and meditate it out. Machi seemingly caught the energy, and when I peeked open my eyes, he too was sitting next to me.

I didn't realize how long I had been sitting there until I started to hear soft squeaking snores coming from Machi next to me. I turned and couldn't prevent myself from smiling at him with his head tilted forward, his arms dangling at his sides. Turning, I decided it was time to get up, and that I would carry him back to his tree, but as I moved to do so, I felt my foot slip against the cobblestone, my body lunging forward, my arms only barely reaching out to brace my fall. Machi jumped up and wobbled to my head, and I laughed for a moment as I sat up before realizing that the flat of my foot had scraped the edge of the stairs, leaving a hefty wound.

"_KWEE_!" Machi gasped and I reached out to quiet him. I looked at the wound, and after realizing that I had pretty much crippled myself, I wondered how I'd get back to the temple.

"Goddess…" I whispered under my breath before finally ripping a piece of fabric from the shirt I had been wearing and placing over the cut before tying it on top of my foot. Machi could only step back as I pushed myself up to stand, and the moment I pressed down on it, I hissed, knowing the cut was too fresh and too painful to walk on. Still, I hobbled, but soon found Machi pushing at my calves in front of me.

"Penny! _Kweee_!" he shouted and I paused, reaching out to lean against a boulder than was near the pond. He wiggled his body eagerly. "Let me go get help!" he announced and before I could protest, he dashed away, and I could only guess where he was headed.

I stared at my foot and hissed, knowing full well that Groose would come back with the little Machi, more arrogant than before. Again I felt frustrated but more so embarrassed. I had been consistent in insisting to help and while I had proven myself to be useful while trapped here I feared that my stupid injury would set me back to square one, even further back than the previous argument with the bully had sent me. It wasn't like I was looking for respect, but for tolerance. If I had to spend time with him, I didn't need it to be volatile.

Grunting, I let my body fall back so I was now sitting on the ground, my back leaning against the boulder. It was only a short time before the grass crunched in the distance, and after a few moments I peered over my shoulder to see Groose, the haughty smile I had predicted in full glory. I let out a groan in disapproval, holding onto the hopes that maybe Link was still at the temple. His presence made it clear Link had traveled away again, making him the man of the temple. Slowly though I looked up to him, watching as he stood for a moment, arms crossed over his chest, as he glanced down at me.

"So?" he slowly spoke, before raising a curious eyebrow. "Remember how Link told us not to go traveling alone?" he asked in a condescending tone. I glared at him in response, huffing as my arms crossed over my chest.

"Oh yes, just go on and chastise me," I rolled my eyes before finally moving my arms behind me to use the large rock as a brace. Groose raised an eyebrow and I let out a whimper as I stood, holding a hand against the nearby tree as I let my foot hover above the ground. Slowly his demeanor changed.

"Wait what happened?" he asked, moving to reach out towards me. I waved his arms away before hopping along the side of tree, even more flustered now that he was there to watch me struggle. "_Penny_," his voice sounded like he was scolding me and as I turned to frown once more I found him already moving in front of me, crouching down a bit. I raised an eyebrow.

"Will you ever quit?" I asked, annoyed once more. Groose looked over his shoulder.

"How else do you expect to make it back if you can't walk?" he prompted.

With a loud sigh I gripped his shoulders, clenching my teeth as he reached back to wrap my legs around his waist. The feeling was back, but had changed from before; there was now a _polite_ resentfulness towards each other. We didn't want to get along, but being forced to spend time together thanks to the circumstances of being stuck on the surface almost required us to deal with it. This was just another one of the strange moments we were sharing since we had been here, and all of them made my mind question my heart. Groose wasn't necessarily a good guy back in Skyloft and yet here, he was trying everything he could to be a hero, even though most of the time, it came off as something completely else. I knew Zelda was a good percentage of the reason why he was doing it, but something in the back of my mind figured maybe he was truly changing.

"You're kind of heavy for somebody so small,"

Then again, maybe not. I glared at the back of his head and moved my arms so they briefly tightened around his neck.

"Watch it…" I warned. He simply loosened his grip for a second so that I almost fell. As I yelped and clenched his shoulders, he let out a hearty laugh.

"Don't threaten the one carrying you," he joked, adjusting me back where I had once been. "Grannie is meditating or whatever so you'll have to heal the old fashioned way," he explained. I nodded, watching as he navigated quickly towards the forest clearing and then up the hill towards the temple.

Sighing, I glanced at the new fire that had been started the garden area. As Groose let me slide off his back I sat down on the ground, not bothering to look and see if he was watching me undress my improvised bandage before reaching for the pile of supplies Peatrice had dumped me here with. With a better wrap on my foot I continued to ignore Groose, who was sitting a little ways away, taking my other boot off and tossing it back where my other clothes were. I placed my bag back near the blanket and decided I would use it as a pillow, or at least try to. I was exhausted, and couldn't help but wish I had thrown my entire body into the pond as I untied my hair, letting my fingers massage my head for a brief moment.

"Hey,"

I hesitated at first to glance up, but finally did so, watching as Groose pouted. I pursed my lips but continued to look at him.

"Yes?" I beckoned and he looked away for a moment, his shoulders slumped over, as if he was already defeated.

"Instead of making Zelda like me…" he paused and I wondered what his new idea was. It couldn't be any better than the first one. "Can you teach me what girls like?" the redness in his face made me immediately mirror him and after finding that my hands had frozen in my hair, I shook the brain freeze away before clearing my throat.

"What do you mean exactly?" I inquired. Groose titled his head to the side and his gaze refused to meet mine.

"Well, just tell me what girls like and how I should act towards somebody I like," he paused to finally look at me and pulled a face that was similar to Machi's. "I mean, it's the least you could do…"

I sighed, but realized one way or another Groose was going to get his way. I figured that because he was asking in a more polite manner that it wouldn't do any harm and after a few moments, I wordlessly nodded, watching as he smiled before moving to go outside again, presumably to continue work on the ramp. My mind felt heavy again, and as I lowered myself to lie on the moss grass, blanket clutched to my chest, I wondered just what I was now getting myself into.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Kwee! I hope you liked this new, long, update. Also, I'm feeling a little lack of love... I could really use some feedback. Of course, I'm grateful for the reviews I have, but more never hurts! See you next time!**


	6. The Knight

Again, morning arrived and after stretching across the grass, I wondered if the longer I stayed here, the more I would end up not ever wanting to leave. The environment was always peaceful to wake up in, and sans the company, the surface had turned out to be just as wonderful as I believed Skyloft to be. Still, I missed home and for once, I actually missed the ramblings of my sister.

I decided it would be best to change before I walked outside, and was surprised to find my foot not hurting as much as it did yesterday. I was equally as amazed to find not just Groose, but Link as well, both moving large objects that looked like bombs into a cave like area to the right of the ramp. Seeing as how much had been completed, I wondered just how I was able to sleep though the commotion. Plus, I felt a bit guilty in that I had ended up not helping as much as I would have liked to.

Still I approached with an eager smile, and as the two turned I moved my hand to wave a bit.

"Your back," I started. Link nodded before looking back at Groose.

"I brought back some supplies," he explained. "And decided to help Groose before I left for the desert,"

"Desert?" I prompted and glanced over to see Groose moving up the staircase again. Link nodded.

"There's a desert a long way from here, as well as a volcano," he sighed, and I could tell this travels had made him exhausted. "I'm headed to both places and won't be back until I've finished my business there,"

I felt guilty that we couldn't do more to help, but felt grateful that he was going out of his way to make sure we were safe and well supplied for our stay here. We both glanced up to see Groose working silently on perfecting the catapult. I sighed before shrugging to myself.

"So… have you found Zelda?" I inquired, and as I saw the corner of Link's lips twitch, I knew he had. He stayed silent at first before moving his head in a nod.

"It's complicated, and hopefully soon I can explain what is happening," he glanced at me then and I could only stay silent, the only words that came to my head involving more questions he couldn't answer at the moment.

Groose saw fit to jump down again, and after Link explained to him what he had just told me, we said our goodbyes, and Link departed once more. I decided it would be a smart idea to organize the belongings from Skyloft in the garden area, and was blessed to see a new bag from Peatrice, and another one placed by what I assumed was Groose's pile of belongings. I figured Link had help transporting the items from Scrapper and silently, I thanked the funny robot. A headache loomed over me then, and I blamed it on it being the morning before looking to find an envelope on the bag, my name on the front. I watched to see Groose enter the temple again, but decided I couldn't wait to read what was inside. He sat down across from me and I smiled, seeing my sister's handwriting on the parchment inside.

_Penny, I'm not going to say I'm sorry, because you're alive, but I will say that I'm sorry because you're kind of down there for no reason now. Link has been coming back and forth and even though he's been talking to me a lot, it's always about you and Groose (yuck) and him trying to find clues as to where Zelda is. Could it be that he doesn't even like me a little? I'm super jealous of your ability to get along with anybody… speaking of, Link tells me you and Groose are friends now. WHAT? What would it take for you to help persuade Link to like me? I can't seem to be forward enough… also, tell him to tell Fledge to leave me alone. He's distracting me and Link by visiting every day and keeps bringing me flowers. It's nice, and he looks like he's been working out… did you know that Pipit asked Karane out? Things up here are so strange… I hope you come back soon. –Peatrice_

Groose looked at me as I stifled a laugh and after realizing the note was pretty innocent, I handed it over and watched as his eyebrows knitted together.

"What does she mean by _yuck_?" he pouted before continuing to read. "Oh no, Cawlin's not going to be happy_…" _he frowned and I leaned forward a bit as he handed back the letter.

"Why's that?" I asked, reviewing the letter a bit to see if I could decipher. Groose chuckled lightly to himself.

"Cawlin kind of liked Karane, I think," he started and I gulped, not wanting to get into the topic of jealous hearts. Groose kind of got the hint from my silence and after a minute, he winced a bit. "Do you have a headache?" he suddenly asked and I raised an eyebrow before nodding as I moved the letter back to the envelope and then the bag.

"Yeah, kind of…" I skewed my mouth to the side. "I do feel a little drained," I added.

Groose groaned to himself before falling back on the blanket he had claimed and while I knew he might have been joking at how he felt in the moment, it had been a rough time while we had been here. He had been over doing it, and no amount of stamina potion or fruit could help with the amount of work he was doing. However, I didn't really have an excuse, and still, my head pounded. I wondered if the amount of mental exhaustion I had building up was catching up to me. I looked back up from the ground only to see the old woman of the temple hovering over us.

"My children, are you ill?" she asked and I questioned what she meant by children to myself. I hesitated to nod and she sighed to herself. "I fear it might be the change in the air," she began to explain. "This air is different than the air on Skyloft; your bodies aren't used to the change,"

I nodded again and watched as Groose leaned up on his elbows, a grimace still on his features.

"No wonder I've been feeling weak," he huffed. "I knew it couldn't be just me, I'm never weak," I rolled my eyes as he over compensated, but smiled as the old woman did as well. "So we have to suffer through it?" he asked and she responded with a soft sigh.

"If you are willing, the water from the spring in Skyview Temple has medicinal qualities," she nodded at us. "The forest should be void of monsters, but I can't say the same for the temple…" she looked at us and I shook my head, leaning back on my hands.

"I think I'll just wait it out," I mumbled, not wanting to risk being knocked nearly unconscious by a monster again. The old woman turned then, but we both seemingly flinched as he leaped up and flailed his arms a bit.

"Oi!" he yelled before shaking his head. "If there's a cure, we gotta find it!" he puffed up his chest and pointed his thumbs at himself. "There's no danger when you've got the Groose!"

I widened my eyes and looked for answers from the woman, but found her already walking back to the large staircase she usually sat atop of. I reluctantly looked back to Groose and sighed, rolling my eyes as I stood back up as he stood closer to me.

"How am I supposed to keep working on the _Groosenator_ if I'm being run down by a stupid cold?" he bellowed again, and at risk of my head bursting, I held my arms up defensively.

"Alright already," I pushed before reaching to put my boots back on.

Groose watched eagerly as I repeated what I had done yesterday when we went into the woods, but this time, I grabbed the newest gift from Peatrice, a slingshot I knew she kept for her silly recreational purposes. He seemed much more enthusiastic about the trip, and after learning from the old woman that it was well into the deep of what she informed us was Faron Woods, I grew momentarily nervous, wondering now how much time I would be spending with Groose. Just as the frustration with each other disappeared, it seemingly always returned with a dumb remark on his part and me blowing up on mine.

For the most part, the path was the same, and after meeting more of Machi's kind, we were directed to a new part of the dense woods, the path being a little more linear, with what I assumed was the temple in the distance. As we continued walking, Groose looked at me and I tried my hardest to ignore him, not wanting to use this idle time to chat, in fear of ruining the "polite resentfulness".

"So your foot is better, right?" he asked and I nodded, only glancing at him for a moment. It was awkward, to say the least, because my foot was feeling better, but it didn't help that we were walking a long distance, one we would immediately be traveling across again. I knew he wasn't being conceding, but knowing I still had a slight limp, it still felt that way. He sighed, and I glanced at him again, finding him observing the path in front of us. "Does your sister really not like me?" he then questioned and it came as a bit of confusion before I remembered the letter.

I hesitated, remembering my thought earlier of not wanting to start anything, but if he was going to learn anything from being stuck down here, I was going to make sure it was a good lesson.

"Well, you actually used to make fun of my sister when we were younger," I started softly. Groose's steps slowed a bit, but after he realized I was still walking, he caught up and looked down at me. "I thought you would grow out of it. You didn't," I gulped, feeling like this was pretty much pointless. "You haven't," I finished.

I took the silence as a good thing, for once, at least grateful he didn't immediately blow up in my face. When I finally built up the courage to look at him as we stepped into the field in front of the temple entrance, he turned to me. I hesitated in the worst way to look to him as well but was surprised to find him glancing away, a frown on his lips. It seemed it was a look I had been seeing just as much as an arrogant grin.

"Do you think that's something I should work on if I want Zelda to like me?" he whispered and I frowned, a little worried at how much he was working on getting her to notice him. It was unhealthy, and wouldn't get him anywhere. It was hard to let him down though, and I could only nod. He smiled. "What else?" he asked. I skewed my mouth to the side and shrugged a bit.

"Apologize to the people you've hurt," I urged and after his expression fell even more I let out a soft sigh. "Whenever you're ready, that is,"

Groose seemed to pick up his attitude and after exchanging a few laughs, we proceeded to enter the temple, a chill almost immediately meeting my back. I froze and braced myself as Groose bumped into me, us holding solemn faces at the large amount of spider webs littering the floor, walls and ceiling.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" he mumbled and after realizing his hands were clenched to my shoulders, I yanked forward, before slowly walking further down the path.

"Don't sound so cliché," I remarked before pausing to look ahead, finding another large spider web that had been cut, presumably by Link when he traveled through. "_You're_ the one that insisted on coming out here…" I tried to joke and after a moment, he passed by me, only to freeze again, and as I moved to peer around his body, was faced by what I realized what was probably responsible for making the mess of webs around us. A huge spider, hanging from the wall, what looked like eyes on the top of its body facing us.

"Is it alright to say it again?" he spoke and I glared at him momentarily before taking a deep breath and digging in the bag for the slingshot, which made Groose even more panicked. "You think _that's_ going to do anything?" he asked. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What happened to there being no danger when you're with the Groose?" I remarked, before picking a rock off the ground and loading it into the tiny weapon. Groose gripped my shoulders again and I felt myself get momentarily annoyed before aiming. "If it starts swinging, just time yourself and run past it,"

I explained and after seeing him nod out of the corner of my eye, I fired, and flinched as the spider began swinging, nudging Groose to start running. As we scrambled past we soon found ourselves walking along a curved path, it leading to a room that was for the most part flooded, and the walkway to the back room destroyed.

"Hey look," he exclaimed, running towards the edge of the stone path.

I rushed to catch up and before I could take a breath, he had jumped on the nearby log, laughing before reaching up to pull himself to the space in front of the door. I sighed, knowing I should have enrolled in the academy, knowing my strength was nowhere near where it should have been for this situation. Groose crouched down and after waving me over, I finally hopped to the log and in a repeat of what had happened only on the first day, his hands wrapped around my arms and he pulled me up, making sure my footing was alright before letting go. I had subconsciously gulped, not fully understanding his closeness. I chopped it up to being in a quasi-dangerous environment.

As we moved through the door, I felt him bump into my back again and seeing as it wasn't going to stop anytime soon, his hands met my shoulders again. The new room was a lot larger than the others and seeing that that many of the doors had been locked up, there was only the north door to enter. For the most part, only birds flew the span of the area, but it was obvious by the animal skeletons in the room that it wasn't always that way.

"This has to be the way," Groose spoke, as we exited the large area, back into a grass covered area, moss lining the walls instead of webs. There was a singular vine hanging from the ceiling, the only object between the platform we were on and the platform that was across from us. "Here," he spoke and before I could even realize what he was doing, he had crouched down and placed my legs around his head, my arms reaching down to steady myself as he propelled my body into the air. I sat there for a moment and glanced down, my lips shaking at the dark void that was waiting below the vine.

"Wha…" I felt my breathing get shaky and after a moment, Groose motioned to the vine.

"Just reach out and grab it, then I'll push you towards the other side,"

He made it sound so easy, and while I had extreme doubts, I had nothing else to do but trust him and did everything in my power not to look down again as I gripped the green vine, holding my breath as he gripped my legs tight before moving his body away and pushing me. I didn't think I could stop myself from screaming, and let it out before jumping off, amazed that I had time to tuck and roll as if I had just leapt from my Loftwing. I turned after regaining my breath to find Groose already swinging over, a more relaxed expression on his face.

"That was fun," he laughed and I didn't want to say it, but even though I had nearly died, it was. Looking to the right, I saw a different path, figuring there was a different way back than this. Groose nudged me and as I looked back, he was already moving through the large door, into what was just a large circular area. He pointed at the door at the back and shrugged. "It's the same pattern of the door in Grannie's temple,"

He was right, it baring a triangle shape, but before we could get any closer to the golden exit, the ceiling crumbled a bit and as I let out a yelp, the object stood up and I realized we really hadn't seen the last of unexplainable beings. This time it was a skeleton, reanimated to hold not only one but two swords in its hands. At first, I expected Groose to hide behind me, but in an instant, he had pushed me behind him, my eyes going wide as he paused to look at me.

"Run to the door, I'll distract him," he calmly spoke. I felt my eyebrows crease together before he smiled. "You've got the Groose to protect you,"

I took it as a joke and darted to the left, grateful that the monster didn't even flinch to look at me. I stood against the door, but found it not budging. I was almost grateful, not wanting to abandon Groose here, as much as I had joked about it in the past that he deserved to be taught a lesson. I turned back to find Groose playing on the defensive, dodging attacks and I wondered if the monster was just stupid, or was just waiting. Shaking my head, I gripped the slingshot again and finding a nice rock from the ground, I quickly fired, it hitting the skeleton square on the back of the head. Groose widened his eyes as it turned towards me instead and I shrieked, not really expecting it, but through my fear realized it was the best distraction I could offer.

"Hit him!" I yelled and just as the monster approached me, Groose dove at it, tackling it to the ground. My hands hit my mouth in shock but I still moved, kicking one of the swords it dropped so it slid across the floor towards the opposite side of the room. Groose grinned at me and for a moment, I felt important. It was a strange feeling I chose not to let distract me as the skeleton leapt away, but froze as it realized it had no weapons; one on the far side of the room and one in the hands of Groose. He slid me behind him again and before I could say anything he moved to the offensive, opting to charge straight at the beast. I closed my eyes as its body shattered like any normal skeleton, and after a few moments of silence, a hand met my arm, and only then did I dare to open my eyes. Groose was holding a small grin, one I didn't fully understand. He still held the sword in his hands, using it more of a cane on the ground now. I hesitated to smile back, but soon found the strength, realizing this battle went a little easier than the surprise encounter we had the first day we were here.

After a moment, I turned and found that the door was now able to open, and behind it, I could almost tell why the water would be considered medicinal. All around there were birds, and butterflies, the water even more sparkling than the clear waters in Faron Woods. I felt my breath hitch and almost instantly, I moved forward, before noting that this walkway was also covered in water. I laughed, almost feeling rejuvenated by just breathing the air and found myself kicking my boots off, barely bothering to roll my pants up before dashing into the water, my injured foot feeling the effects of the water.

"You're excited," I heard behind me, and turned, seeing Groose copying me as he walked barefoot into the water, his smile small, but apparent as he felt the effects as well. I titled my head.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked coyly. He shook his head, looking down at his feet as he wiggled his toes in the water.

"You being happy is a nice change to you being cranky all the time," he said. I decided to ignore his comment before squatting down to scoop some of the water into two empty bottles I had brought with me. I handed him one as I brought the glass to my lips to take a drink. It was refreshing, to say the least, and while my headache didn't fully disappear, I could almost feel the weight I had been carrying lift off of my shoulders. Glancing back at Groose, he seemed pretty content as well and as we both moved to refill our bottles, he still sighed.

"When are you going to start telling me what girls like?" he asked. I raised an eyebrow before chuckling lightly to myself.

"Here's an easy one," I began and as we stood, found his expression more eager than he had been in his building. "Girls like complements," I glanced away in thought. "Their clothing, their hair… it could even be something they do," I explained. Groose nodded, even though he looked like he was attending a lecture rather than having a conversation. I placed a hand on my hip and looked to him. "Try it out,"

Groose's eyebrows twitched up at first, but after a moment's passing, he got the hint that he was to direct one at me. The amount of time it took him to part his lips made my headache return again, wondering how dense he could be sometimes.

"Well… what you did back there was pretty cool," I nodded and he licked his lips nervously. "I liked the way you distracted him so I could save the day,"

I tried not to laugh directly at him, but offered condolences as I patted him on the shoulder.

"You'll get it eventually…" I urged and with that, the peaceful time in the temple was over and we backtracked, making our way back in a comfortable silence.

The walk back through the woods was similar to the way it had been on the way here, except now the light was fading, and I knew that it would be nightfall by the time we got back to the temple. Occasionally I would find Groose watching me as I walked, something that made me nervous, but I knew _way_ better than ask what he was doing. It continued all the way back to the temple and after a new fire was lit, I finally sighed, placing my water and bag down before looking at him.

"Do you have something to say?" I asked. Groose smiled sheepishly before nodding. I waited and after a minute he finally breathed out.

"You are very smart Penny," he paused. "I don't think I could've survived exploring that place by myself," he finished and I felt my heart lower a bit. Was he redeeming himself from before or was this a separate feeling he was expression. Not knowing which path to take, I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment.

"Thank you," I whispered, lowering my eyes. I thought for a moment, not wanting the awkwardness to return. "You did a great job defending us," I finally responded, finding a softer version of his usual grin on his lips.

"Well, I am training to be a knight, you know," he explained.

I laughed a big before breathing out, opting to move my body down to my blanket and push my head into my hands, half suffering from the persistent head-ache, half suffering from an unknown tingling in my stomach. Groose sat down near me and proceeded to snack on the berries the old lady had provided for us, but still kept a watchful eye on me. Moving to lay down, I watched the fire, hoping it would hypnotize the headache away. It wasn't long before Groose moved near my head and I was growing more and more curious of his intentions. He was simply freaking me out.

"Do you still have a headache?" he asked and after a few moments, I finally nodded, not bothering to lift my head from the ground, it more comfortable than the bag I had been using as a pillow. "Here," he spoke, almost forcing me to lean up a bit and look at him, my stomach clenching again as he turned his body to me, his legs crossing as he placed the pillow he had from his care package in his lap. I raised an eyebrow but decided that rejecting him would probably end in him pouting and my headache growing larger.

I placed my head on the pillow and sighed as I closed my eyes, thankful I was on my side so I wasn't forced to look at him. It wasn't until I felt his hands meet my head that I flinched and opened my eyes, before breathing out as his fingers moved to softly rub my scalp. The heat came to my face as I realized what he was doing and again, my heart fluttered, it being something I wanted to curse. It wasn't something I was going to fight though, when I realized that my headache was slowly disappearing. I breathed in and in doing so noted that the pillow smelled nice, but I didn't dare ask where it came from, in fear that he would say it was his back in Skyloft.

"I know it sounds fruity," he started and I blinked as he spoke softly over the fire. "But I sneak into Cawlin's' room and rub his head like this," I giggled softly as he continued. "I would always hear him fussing at night so I decided I would try and calm him down…" he sighed a bit. "I wonder how he's doing now that I'm not there," he wondered.

Groose kept his fingers in my hair as he paused. I could only smile, and out of the corner of my eye I could tell he was watching it. I decided it would be safe to turn my body up so I could see his expression better.

"He's probably sleeping in your bed," I joked. Groose chuckled before starting to move his fingers again.

It wasn't long before silence overcame us and I wondered what he was thinking. I couldn't help but wonder what I was thinking too; laying here, my head in his lap as he rubbed my head like I was some child. But it wasn't anything like that, not even in the least. I didn't ask for this; it was something he had offered and he was being calm about it, not mocking me or showing off. I hadn't realized I was staring up at him until he looked down, his hands pausing again as his eyebrows twitched upwards.

"Hmm?" he prompted and almost immediately, I felt my face heat up. After noticing my awkward silence, I shifted myself, trying to get away.

"Maybe I should go lay down now-"

"Stay," he interrupted and instantly I could feel the shock my spine took at the word. His hand was now cupping the side of my face and I realized I hadn't gotten that far away to begin with. Groose's eyebrows moved again in a different way, his golden stare softening before I hesitated to put my head back down. A few more moments passed before he slid his hand back and brushed at my hair, but didn't bother to work on moving his gaze. I felt exposed in some way and while I could feel my heart racing, the only thing that calmed it was when I closed my eyes.

When I did so I felt more content, but yet also more confused. What were these feelings? Was the warmth that filled my lungs a side effect of the brushing or was it the fire? Could it have been something entirely different? Sighing out of my nose I felt his fingers slow down. After a long pause I dared to open my eyes only to find him still staring at me. I widened my eyes a bit in surprise before blinking.

"I thought you fell asleep," he simply put. I could only offer a small shrug.

"I think I'm ready to now," I decided, wanting an excuse to stop this discussion with my conscious.

I felt relieved when he moved his hand from my head, allowing me to finally sit up. At first, I didn't scoot away and opted to move my blanket over me, glancing to find him with his chin to his chest, a soft snore coming from him. He had fallen asleep, and while I could've moved, I decided not to, and stretched out, covering myself up. As I closed my eyes and slowly started to drift away, I couldn't resist the faint smile growing on my lips as I felt his fingers once again tracing patterns in my hair. He had tricked me, and for once, I decided I would let him get away with it. As I finally fell asleep I thought back to Peatrice's letter. Groose and I had become friends yes, but in this moment my heart didn't hesitate to ask my mind if it was turning into something else.

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><p><strong>AN: This chapter is by far my favorite, and I think you can tell why. Also, it ended up being the longest so far, sending this story into 20k+ words. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated! **


	7. The Tree

It had only been a day since a new kind of tension arose in the temple. I couldn't tell if it was one sided, or if it was obvious from the heavens. Regardless, it was there, and no matter how many times I lulled over it in my mind, I always came back to the same conclusion.

I was starting to like Groose.

Blinking myself out of another discussion with my conscious, I focused back on my walking, not wanting to trip and repeat my ordeal the last time I was in the woods. I had set out while Groose finished building, looking for more berries and edible growth that the forest had to offer, thankful for help from Machi, whose company I was thankful for.

Still, my rapid thoughts continued, matching the queasy feeling I got in my stomach every time I thought about the situation for too long. What had compelled Groose to act so out of character? For that matter, what made him revert back to normal? Breathing in, I couldn't say anything different about my own behavior; I was _cranky_ but that was because I didn't chose to fall down here from Skyloft. Any happiness I had been feeling was where my heart got confused; it was Groose that made me smile.

Feeling my face heat up again as I thought, I sighed, trying to find anything to take my mind off of the redhead, even though I would be back to the temple in just a short walk. Machi had noticed my distraction, but I didn't think that he could tell what was going on. It was starting to get really hard to be myself, my mind already building walls to protect my heart from the unknown.

The old woman had since moved when I got back to the temple, instead staring at the large glowing block that had been erected the last time Link was around. I decided not to question its presence, seeing that it would most likely have nothing to do with me to begin with. Groose was sitting near her, and wordlessly I passed, still trying to quiet my thoughts.

"Guess what?" I flinched a bit as he leapt into my view, making me almost drop the cloth bundle of berries. I looked at him for an explanation. "The _Groosenator_ is complete!"

His wide smile was a rare sight, and for once I figured he wasn't distracted by Zelda's unknown whereabouts. I offered a sigh of relief.

"That's great," I spoke and saw that he was developing another cocky grin.

"I say it makes _me _more qualified to save Zelda, don't you think?" he asked then and I raised a suspicious eyebrow before shaking my head in disapproval.

"You should be a little nicer to Link," I offered, and found Groose pursing his lips.

"Is that another one of your tips?" he mocked and I sighed through my nose before sitting down to unwrap the package of fruit. Groose copied and almost immediately stole a small berry, popping it in his mouth. "Are you saying that because you _like_ him or something?" he tried to tease and I could only laugh at him as I started to peel a different fruit.

"I think you have the wrong idea, Groose," I started, meeting his eyes to find a confused stare. "Sure, I like Link, but because we're friends and we get along," I explained. Groose still raised an eyebrow at me.

"Oh sure, is there even a difference?" he asked. I looked away.

"The difference is in your gut," I sighed, wondering where that came from. "I mean, do you _feel_ the same way about Cawlin and Strich as you do about Zelda?" I giggled to myself as I looked back at him. Groose was now holding a wince, as if I had made him disgusted while making him understand at the same time.

"Ok, I get it," he paused, his eyes shifting away. "Well I guess I'm not one to get in touch with my feelings…" he trailed off and I thought it would be the end of the discussion. "Well how do you deal with rejection?"

The question came as a surprise, and once again brought up the feelings I had been questioning since I fell asleep in his lap. Groose was staring at me with an expectant expression, but a coherent response failed me.

"I…I don't know," I gulped, my ears on fire as I looked back down at the blanket of fruit. Groose grumbled a bit and I managed to gather my mind back together. "I've never really had to deal with rejection," I glanced back to him. "I don't like to get close to people," I whispered. Groose held his lips in a slight grin.

"Don't you think that's _your_ flaw?"

His comment caught me off guard, almost just as much as his previous question had. My eyes widened, I couldn't help but take it a little harder than I should have. I was supposed to be offering advice on how to be a better person and yet every time I offered something, he had something to say back. I ignored it the best I could.

"If you can't get close to people, do you expect to _ever_ be happy?" he continued to speak and I could feel my heart sinking.

It was a combination of how I had been feeling about him and his sudden comment that made me wonder if he really had any room to speak. I had only gotten to know Groose over the last few days of us being stuck here, and even so, I hadn't learned much, except he switched periodically from being nice and sweet to the jerk-face he was back in Skyloft. We were never friends back home and while I had found a new acquaintance in him here, he hardly had any right to say something so personal. I didn't think I would be able to respond in a reasonable matter; I could feel tears prickling the corners of my eyes and with a shaky breath, I looked back at him and tried to speak. His smile fell when he noticed my expression, but before he could speak, disruption at the front temple door tore him away.

Link entered the building then, and while old woman was eager to meet him again, Groose was apprehensive to join her by the staircase that led to the large block. I stood up, but chose to stay where I was, trying to collect my thoughts so that I didn't show any emotional weakness. It was frustrating me even more that I had to pretend to be tough in order to gain respect from somebody I would have never cared about being friends with back home. If Peatrice could see me now, she'd probably slap me and ask where her sister went. I gulped and blinked, finding my eyes still blanketed with water before glancing over as Link unsheathed his sword, and raised it upward, the blade glowing.

It was the rumbling in the ground that snapped me out of my trance, everybody in the room holding a gasp on their lips as they balanced themselves. The old woman turned to the door as the earth shook more violently, and before she could even speak, Link bolted back out of the room, her shuffling right after. I moved to follow but found Groose blocking the way.

"Hey-"

"Not now," I managed to whisper before wiggling past him, darting outside.

My heart still felt heavy as Groose ran past, positioning himself atop the ramp where yelled down at Link who was running at the beast. He was right; it had come back, and was moving faster, pausing to climb at the wall with its new formed arms. I struggled to figure out what I should do; it was obvious that I help, and yet my mind was apprehensive. As the old woman turned to me, I felt the guilt of just being an observer and stepped to the ladder, not caring about the look Groose gave me as I jumped in to help place a large bomb in the catapult. The tingling in the corner of my eyes was still present, but now it was a combination of fear and grief.

"Watch out!" Groose yelled and I stepped back, still flinching as he unloaded the bomb in the direction of the beast.

It went on like this, a blur of noise; bombs crashing against the wall and beast as it screamed out, the sound echoing for what seemed like forever. With every strike to the seal that still protruded from its head, it weakened, but surged with a last resort fight with every fall. Groose was loading up another bomb when it fell for a final time and cried out, it quaking the ground and trees yet again. I peered over the edge of the wooden ramp as the monster was yet again sealed, my breath still shaky as the land quieted.

It was a repeat of the first time it attacked; all four of us unsure of what to say or feel. I wasn't even entirely sure if I could handle a full explanation of what the beast was. Still, just like the previous time, we made our way back into the temple, and while I was still trying to decipher the quick happenings of the morning, Link rose his sword up towards the ceiling once more, and in another display of unknown power, the glowing block shook and transformed, sending all but the old woman into a slight shock.

"You must go through and seek Zelda," she spoke.

To what the block transformed into, I wasn't sure, but wordlessly, Link nodded, and it became clear that the large object was a portal; to where, I wasn't sure. Link was gone again, and apprehensively, I waited to see if the old woman would speak to us, but she stayed silent, worrying me back into what would happen now. What surprised me even more was the dumb grin Groose held on his lips when I finally turned to look at him. It confused me, considering the events that had just taken place.

"So Zelda is safe?" he asked, directing the question to the old woman. She didn't respond, but it seemed that Groose took it well as he smiled some more. "That's a relief," he let out a sigh and I couldn't help but feel the same way, my attitude lifting up a bit.

"You're such a softy," I lightly remarked, offering what I could call an apology for my earlier mood. Groose held an eyebrow up for a moment before pursing his lips.

"Don't call me that, I'm tough!" he asserted. "_You're_ the softy," he remarked, and at first, I figured it was a joke, but when I looked at him again, it was if I had unintentionally hurt his feelings. Even more confused, I felt my defenses rising.

"What?" I gulped, watching as he rolled his eyes.

"You got all bent out of shape after I offered you some advice," his tone was what made my eyebrows crease, my heartbeat picking up in anger.

"I never asked for any advice," I grumbled. Groose smirked.

"Well, you got it, and you're doing it again," he paused, stepping a little closer. "You're not letting me give you advice!" his expression changed a bit, but he was still mocking me. I shook my head, frustrated.

"I don't _want_ your advice!" I yelled back, annoyed by how close he was getting. Groose leaned closer and raised his eyebrows up.

"Oh and why's that?" he asked.

I felt my chest puff out in frustration. I was having mixed emotions, still confused about his question earlier, still frightened by the returning beast and confused by his sudden need to chastise me. Just what was going on? Suddenly we were back on Skyloft and it was as if everything I had thought I liked about him went right out the window. My hands balled into fists and I when I finally felt my breath leave me, I couldn't stop myself.

"Because I _hate_ you!"

My outburst had seemingly made every living being in the temple freeze; Groose's face losing all color while the old woman blinked as she peered over her shoulder. My breathing was heavy as I continued to stare at Groose, my lips twitching as I felt a rush of adrenaline burst through. I had let go of my emotions in a big way, something I tried to not let happen.

The sound echoed in the temple and in a short time, Link had returned, and I struggled to hide my emotions so I didn't burden him further. His priorities were more serious than him asking me if everything was ok. His expression was already one of sorrow, and didn't need any more distractions; especially one as silly as the argument between Groose and I. He talked to the old woman briefly, and after breathing out, he offered a smile, glancing at us. I could still tell he was suspicious of us as we stood apart, Groose looking like a wounded Loftwing while I still calmed my breathing.

"Thank you," he spoke, before adjusting his gloves. He was trying to hide something, and I knew it was so he didn't excite Groose. He had seen Zelda again, and it was written all over his face, but more importantly apparent in his eyes. "I'm going back to Skyloft, but I'll be back soon," his brief explanation he offered seemed to please Groose enough, and like so many times before, Link disappeared, but the tension stayed.

I could feel eyes fixated on the back of my head, and while I knew who would be standing behind me, I still turned my head, glancing to see him frowning. I wasn't about to apologize. If he was going to be wishy-washy with how he treated me, I had every right to do the same. Furrowing my eyebrows, I turned back, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I'm going," I mumbled, taking a step to cross over towards the other door. I could hear his footsteps behind me.

"Where?" he eagerly asked. I didn't bother to pause or turn back to face him.

"Away from you," I pushed against the door, and when I still heard him following me, I sharply turned on my heel, trying to frighten him with my stare. I was in no mood. He froze and I nodded firmly. "_Don't_ come looking for me,"

As I turned again and continued to walk, I was relieved to hear the silence. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I needed to blow off steam and get as far away from the source of the problem if I was going to be able to calm down. I knew I was blowing things out of proportion, but if I didn't get a chance to gather my thoughts, and hopefully give him time to do the same, one of us would end up being flung out of the catapult.

I had been following the main forest path, intent on visiting the large tree where Machi had previously instructed him and his fellow Kikwi lived. It wasn't until I reached the main area where the tree was that I realized I had come without any protection, even if it was my flimsy slingshot. The ground was now littered with monsters and worse yet, they were the same kind of ones that had first attacked us when we came to the woods. I stepped back, but flinched as I tripped over something, falling hard on my backside. Knowing the shrill squeak by heart, I reached out towards the bunch of grass I had tripped over and laughed.

"Machi," I called, and after a moment, his body lifted up, his beady eyes blinking at me before he leapt into my arms.

"Kweee it's terrible!" he yelped before turning to sit in my arms, pointing towards the tree. "First there are monsters and now the Water Dragon is here, threatening to flood the area!" his quick words startled me first and then I widened my eyes at his words.

"What?" I asked, standing up. Machi didn't budge from clinging to me and I lifted my arms back up to carry him. He shook his body, obviously scared.

"_Faron_, the Water Dragon…" he sighed. "She's angered by the monsters and is going to flood the area,"

At this point, my heart sank. Regardless of if I could even imagine what this Water Dragon looked like, Machi's fear was evident that he wasn't lying. I didn't even want to think about how I would get out of this, fearing I had walked into my own demise. Blinking, I held Machi closer to me.

"We need to find the Kikwi Elder, Kweee," he reached out and I could tell he was motioning to the great tree planted not too far away.

It was the low hiss growing louder, coming behind us that finally encouraged me to run, screaming as I passed by startled monsters, probably too confused to see the low rush of water that was quickly being followed by a large wave. Machi was making a noise similar to me, but paused to leap from my arms as the water became deep enough to swim in. It was rushing in fast, and every time I touched my feet down to something solid, the water rose higher, making it difficult for me to catch my bearings. Machi floated near me, and I could tell he would have an easier time handling the problem.

A loud crash came through and almost instantly, the water level rose, sinking both me and Machi. I caught my breath at the last moment, and frantically kicked, trying to meet a surface that was always too far to reach. I was panicking, something that didn't help my already racing heart. Why had I chosen to come out here and not just tough it out at the temple? Needless to say, would I have even been safe there? My vision was starting to get blurry and after finding that my body was naturally floating to the surface, I opened my mouth, my last breath leaving me as unwillingly, I gave away to the darkness.

* * *

><p>"Kweee what are you doing?"<p>

The voice was faint, but it didn't surprise me to hear Machi, figuring we had both drowned in the flood and had been taken to the arms of Hylia simultaneously. I could feel a light smile coming to mind, thankful for the company of somebody I actually liked before realizing there was more than one voice, and now, a hand meeting my head. I crinkled my eyebrows together, already assuming who it was.

"I still hate you," I whispered, before slowly opening my eyes, slowly regretting what I had just said as I saw not just Machi leaning over my face, but Link, his lips apart in a small laugh.

"Well now I know why Groose is upset," he teased back and I blinked before moving my hands, pushing myself up to sit. I glanced at him.

"Why are you here?" I asked, still feeling a little dazed. This was now the second time I was sure to face death, and yet, here I was, alive. Link shook his head.

"I came to see the Water Dragon," he started. "She's going to lower the water but it will take time to drain out," he glanced at Machi and then behind me and when I followed his gaze, I realized what I had been leaning against was actually a larger Kikwi, whom I assumed was the Elder. "Bucha saved you really," he explained. I glanced at the large fluff and he laughed.

"Kweee-heee," he nodded a bit. "You floated to my lily pad with young Machi," he hummed lightly then. "I patted your back and you expelled water before rolling over again," he closed his eyes. "I thought you were a monster until Machi explained,"

I raised an eyebrow before looking out to observe my scenery. We were indeed floating on a large lily, the water so high that we sat level with the very top of the tree. It was a little frightening, seeing the entire woods through the water below, and yet, knowing the water would gradually allow us to meet the ground, I was grateful.

"Why are you here?" Link suddenly asked, and I brought my knees to my chest, still a little shocked at how I had survived a fall from the heavens and now a flood. Next would come the fire, right? Blinking tightly, I thought about the question at hand and sighed.

"Ask Groose," I mumbled, glancing at Machi who was now moving to lean against me. It seemed that he too was relieved to be alive. Link chuckled lightly and I looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I did," he pointed out. "He said to ask you," I laughed with him briefly, but shook my head.

"Have you noticed anything different about Groose?" I tilted my head to the side. "I mean, you know him better than I do,"

"To an extent that he bullies me more," he joked, but nodded. "He's just letting what was always there come out, without really realizing it," he offered. I skewed my lips to the side.

"I think he realizes, and that's why he keeps snapping every time he does something nice," I mumbled. Link perked his eyebrows up.

"I'm surprised by how close you guys have gotten," he spoke and I snapped my head at him, finding him already on the offensive. "You wouldn't be feeling this way, storming off in frustration if you didn't care about his feelings,"

I felt my teeth clench, but then realized that he was right. I sighed; Link was always right.

"Do you think I guard myself too much?" I asked then, trying to find some kind of explanation for my mind. Link shrugged.

"I can't say," he said. "I don't know you too well," he smiled then. "After all of this is finished, I'm sure we can _all_ be friends,"

It wasn't the exact answer I was looking for, but it definitely put me where I needed to be emotionally. I wasn't giving Groose the benefit of the doubt; he wasn't used to the amount of closeness he was offering to not only me, a practical stranger, but to Link, somebody he had claimed to be enemy number one. Without fully recognizing it, I had blown up when I should have been offering a little more tolerance. Groose was intent on being a hero, but I knew somewhere deep down, he also wanted to be a nice person.

The water level continued to lower until it was finally just a blanket of water, the lily pad landing with a small thud near the large tree's root. Judging by how dry my clothes were, I figured I had been out floating for longer than I had expected to spend away from the temple. Then again, in my last thought, I never expected to see the temple in my present state ever again. After thanking Bucha and hugging Machi, we turned away and slowly started the journey back to the sacred grounds.

"Is Zelda alright?" I whispered out of nowhere really, only after it came to my mind as I thought about his journey. Link made a small sound of discomfort before I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye.

"She will be alright," he sighed again. "But the situation is far from that…" he trailed and when I saw the heaviness in his eyes, I knew it wasn't my place to ask him, or pry for more information.

The rest of the walk was silent, but I knew it was good for both of us. It was a different type of frenzy in our minds, but the simple sounds of the forest were soothing, and this was the type of walk I had been intending when I set out. We reached the open field behind the temple, and as I walked forward, I could tell Link was trailing behind. I turned, and found a small smile before he moved to the lone bird statue planted in the ground, and for once I got an idea of how his travels worked. In a flurry, he was spouted up, his sailcloth propelling him up further until the thick of the clouds swallowed his body. I raised my hand to hold my arm, still thankful for all he was doing to not only save Zelda, but protect Groose and I.

I was still hesitant to walk into the temple, but when I finally decided to, I was surprised to find Groose lying by the fire, his body pathetically curled up as if he had been scolded. The old woman greeted me with a warm smile and under her breath she blessed my survival. I reluctantly stepped towards the lump of a man before moving to sit down as well on my own blanket, wondering how long it would take for one of us to say something. I reached down to remove my boots, thankful they weren't waterlogged before wiggling my toes near the fire. An audible sigh made me glance over at him and again, I found his frown dominating his features. Even his pompadour seemed down.

"Do you really hate me?" he whispered and I could already tell he wasn't going to be happy until I told him otherwise.

"No Groose," I answered quickly, but before his smile could get any larger, I held up a hand. "But we should work on what we say to each other," I paused, glancing back to the fire. "I think we both have tempers…" I trailed, but when I looked back at him, he was right in front of me, already reaching out to grip my shoulders. I yelped lightly as he shook me a bit, my arms flailing up to catch his arms.

"I'm so _sorry_," he frowned for a moment. "I don't want to be hated," he cried and after a moment I patted his arms again before offering a smile. He lowered his arms and I nodded.

"If you can work on being nice, others will follow," I grinned a bit wider, honestly amused by his dumbfounded expression. It was like it had hit him like a ton of bricks and he leaned back, nodding eagerly.

Groose stayed silent for a while after that, and I felt content that we could finally put the bad tension between us away. From here, there would hopefully not be any more outbursts that caused either of us to storm out. I leaned back as well, glancing over my shoulder to see the grass dome in the garden freshly groomed. I raised an eyebrow, but could already tell an explanation was on its way.

"I'm thinking about planting a tree…" he trailed off as I smiled.

"That sounds great," I nodded as he tilted his head in surprise. "You're doing a good thing," I offered and found his sheepish grin returning.

"Duh-huh,"

His response did nothing but make me burst out in laughter and after a moment he copied. Suddenly the worry of any type of tension returning was in the back of my mind, my heart lifting up as I felt content. In a long and confusing day, we had finally found a comfort zone that we could finally develop a good standing.

Still, deep down I couldn't help but wonder what the returning feeling in my gut was, and while I ignored it once more, I couldn't help but feel terrified.

_The difference is in your gut…_


	8. The Water

**A/N: This is what I'd like to call a cross between extreme fluff and plot advancement. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>With the next morning, the peaceful aurora around me was something I could get used to. The fire was still crackling, and when I opened my eyes, I could see the flames slowly dying. Pollen from the flowers in the garden floated towards the ceiling, routing an escape through the crack that allowed a small puddle of sunlight in.<p>

It was the most peaceful way anybody could ask to wake up.

It wasn't until I had tried to push myself up that I was being weighed down and when I glanced down to find an arm, my heart nearly stopped. I didn't know why my mind had frozen; it was obvious who the arm belonged to, and yet I laid there, afraid to confirm what I already knew to be true. I gulped as I felt my face heat up, and yet, I couldn't think but to treasure the moment while it lasted. As my ears heated at the thought, I heard the grumble behind me. Almost instantly he scrambled away, and while I figured it would have been better to fake being asleep, I jumped up after him, us both sharing an expression of confusion, fueled by embarrassment.

"Whoa, don't get the wrong idea," he waved his hands in front of him, his eyes bouncing from wall to wall. At this point I didn't even know what would be the wrong idea at this point; that he wanted to be there or that _I_ wanted him to be there. I held up my own hands in defense.

"Let's just forget about it," I frantically spoke, trying to mellow the mood so one of us didn't snap. He took a large breath in before slumping over, obviously still startled.

"That's one way to wake up…" he mumbled before slapping his hand to his face, pulling down slowly as if he was trying to calm himself down. I couldn't tell if it worked or not, but he turned around, waving towards me. "I'm going outside," he walked a little awkwardly at first before rushing a bit, as if he was more embarrassed than even he realized.

I widened my eyes before reassessing the situation, placing a hand to my chest to try and regain my composure. I didn't like where this was going; my heart racing even though I had ample time to understand the situation. Swallowing any remaining nerves, I changed for the day and slowly began tying my hair back into the usual braid I wore back home. It had been ignored the first few days we were here, seeing that my usual hairstyle wasn't fit for the amount of activity we were doing. Sighing as I brought my hair towards under my ear, I walked towards the gap in the door, peering out to the sealed grounds to find Groose doing push-ups, his tunic discarded and lying next to him. The nerves returned, but I recovered, offering a small laugh instead.

"Aren't you pushing yourself a bit?" I asked, keeping my hands in my hair as I walked closer. I looked up but didn't stop.

"If I want to become a knight, I've got to keep this body in check," he paused to breathe out. "Plus what will the ladies think if I lose this sculpted figure?" I chuckled as his usual cockiness returned. He glanced at me again. "Come here," I raised an eyebrow at him but still stepped closer, and when he lowered himself to the ground, I felt a little confused. "Sit down. You'll have to work as a weight," he explained.

My hands froze next to my neck and as I gulped, I could feel my pulse raising. Hesitantly, I did what he asked, closing my eyes a bit as I reached out to balance myself as I sat, lifting my feet up so they wouldn't hit the ground. Groose visibly shivered and I wondered if anything similar was happening in his mind.

"I can get off if I'm too heavy," I murmured. Groose let out a haughty laugh before shaking his head, extending his arms out as he pushed up. I couldn't help but clench at his shoulders again, a little surprised, and as he trembled again, I felt my lips tremble. "Are you ok?" I whispered, and after a moment, he lowered down, only to push up again.

"Your feet are cold, that's all," he spoke softly.

I blinked at the back of his head and felt my heart still for only a moment. I glanced down at my bare feet and moved to touch them, finding my heart fluttering as I noted they weren't cold at all. Deciding it would be safer to just ignore whatever he was covering up, I continued braiding my hair, tying off the end with the small ribbon Peatrice had given me. Closing my eyes, I wondered when I would be able to tell my sister of my adventures, and how strange the surface was. In the back of my mind, I also couldn't help to divulge the strange feelings I had been feeling towards Groose.

Furrowing my eyebrows together, I tried to decipher them a bit more as he continued to move, counting softly under his breath. Back home he was the town jerk and while he had hardly changed here on the surface, he had shown a side of him on multiple occasions that wasn't all that bad. Underneath the entire tough and cocky exterior was a total softy, and better yet, somebody who actually cared about those he liked.

Then I thought about it more; did this mean that he cared about me? I certainly was acting as if I cared about him. If I didn't I wouldn't have helped out so much. Then again, I had the temple to protect and Link to also help. To my conscious, it was obvious I was trying to come up with excuses. Why had I followed him out here this morning, especially after I had woken up with his arm around my waist? Speaking of, why in all that was unholy did I actually _like_ it? My stomach swallowed my heart whole as I snapped open my eyes in realization.

I didn't just like Groose, I was starting to _like_ him; in the same way Peatrice liked Link and in the same way Link liked Zelda. Every couple back home came to my mind as I felt my face flush, completely embarrassed by whom my heart had chosen to fall for. Love was _way_ out of the question, but judging by the way the progression of feelings went, I knew it was on the same path that I was following. Half sickened, half relieved by my realization, I shuddered, making Groose pause as he lowered himself.

"Are _you_ ok?" he asked and before he could turn his head to look at me, I snapped myself as far as I could out of my daze, and judging by his bewildered expression, I had done a poor job of doing so. We stayed like that for a moment, him looking at me as I nervously licked my lips, trying everything in my power not to succumb to what I had confirmed with myself. He turned some more, his arm shaking as he lifted up another to reach backwards at me. My heart pounded, and as if my prayers had been answered, the temple door creaked open.

"Hell-_oh_,"

As Groose and I turned our heads to see who was walking out, we noticed Link, holding a frozen stare as he held his hands up a bit. Instantly, Groose jumped up and I reached out at the last minute to brace myself against the ground. He was frantically trying to defend himself and when I finally pushed myself off the ground to stand up, I could find that Link didn't really care what Groose had to say, his hands shaking as Groose blundered over what to say.

"Hey," I broke them up as much as I could, and after appearing as calm as I could, Groose copied, Link only flicking his gaze from one of us to the other before nodding.

"I planted a tree," he started, lifting his hand up again to motion to the temple. "…but because I did so in the past, you now have a full grown one," he paused to look up to the sky. "I need to take the fruit it bears to the Thunder Dragon so he can feel better,"

I blinked, and realized that all the times that I had wanted to ask Link about his journey, I was right in assuming it would be too complicated for him to explain. When he finally finished talking about how he would be back again soon, I offered a small smile, nodding as he looked at us one last time before parting. Groose still seemed a bit distant as we walked after him, but in defense of my still running rabid mind, I chose not to ask.

Inside, I discovered that Link was right; in the garden where there was a gap in the flowers now stood a sturdy tree, as if it had been there forever. It was a beautiful sight as the wind from outside blew against it, a few leaves softly dancing in the wind before they hit the ground. It seemed that Groose too was entranced by its existence, and sat down near it, staring up at it as he sighed.

Taking the opportunity of a bit of privacy, I sat down near the now dead fire and breathed out, collecting my thoughts before sorting through what gathered food was still good and what needed to be sacrificed to the birds. It wasn't long until Groose joined me again, and seeing that I was preparing food, he worked to start a new fire. This was the usual routine, and it was nice that we could work without needing to talk about what needed to be done. It was starting to become so second nature, even though it had only been a short time for both of us here on the surface. Still, we spent _all_ our time here while Link still had the liberty to travel to Skyloft; something I chose not to be jealous of because it was him who was providing us with amenities.

While we joked over our food and spoke about the adventure Link had been on, the sun began to set, and after a second larger meal, Groose had dozed off, my mind finding an opportunity to finally cool off and have time alone to further think. I glanced down at my bag and began stuffing it with thinker blankets that would have to work for towels. Standing up, I smiled; scribbling on the back of the envelope my sister had given me that I would be back soon.

Slipping out of the temple, I sighed at the warm air, walking slowly as I traveled past the large gate into Faron woods. The water from the flood had dried up, but as I turned to the shortcut to the pond in front of the golden temple, I was glad to still see it full. Observing my surroundings first, I then started to pull at my clothes, eager to take a proper bath. Sure, I had been drenched in rain water, and then nearly drowned, but both times it had been unpleasant and I was clothed.

When I stepped into the water, it was already starting to become dark outside but just as quickly the moon was rising, placing an eerie but peaceful glow across the water as I let it swallow my body. I realized it was too deep to just float there and soon perched against the walkway, crossing my arms across the sunken gravel to hold my body up. It was the most content I had felt since arriving here and I couldn't help but blush as I recalled Groose's hair massage that even this surpassed. The water was warm just like the air and while I was used to the hot spring water of the lake back home, I certainly knew I would miss this once I returned.

It was the rustling at the end of the path leading into the area that snapped me from my thoughts, my body sinking a bit more into the water in an attempt to hide myself. My eyes shifted a bit to adjust in the darkness, but as the moon made its way just enough over the high cliff, I let out a shriek as the familiar red hair became obvious. He instantly looked over and I regretted alerting him, his body shuffling closer to the edge of the pond before he froze, looking down.

There in all its glory were my clothes, all neatly displayed so he could see everything from my corset to my socks. Even in the dim light I could see his expression and held my arms up to my chest as he glanced up. Even though I knew I was being protected by the dark of the night, the moonlight on my skin frightened me. I kicked to keep myself afloat before widening my eyes.

"_Hey_!" I screamed before he sharply turned, and after a moment, I realized that even if he stayed turned around, I wasn't about to come out of the water, not wanting the chance of my body exposed to somebody I hardly knew. It didn't matter how my emotions were changing. Suddenly, he reached down and as I watched, he threw back a towel, my eyes narrowing as it landed in the water. It didn't help much, but I still tucked it around my body, thankful it went long enough to cover what was important. "Um…" I trailed and Groose moved a bit, his hand covering his eyes as he turned around.

"I got your letter, but I came out for a bath," he mumbled, his other hand waving around a bit. I held the cloth to my chest as I swam to hold onto the walkway again. "I thought you would be with that little _plant_ thing," I softly laughed before observing the other side of the pond, and spoke before fully thinking the situation through.

"If you wear a towel…" I watched as his hand lowered. "You can join,"

It sounded weird as it came out and as he just stared at me, I blinked, hopeful he couldn't see the blush resting on my cheeks. I looked the other way so he could change, and watched the birds as they landed just outside the golden temple entrance. The water rippled around me and I glanced over my shoulder, only to push myself off the stone walkway as Groose made himself float too close for comfort.

"_Ah_! There's a whole other side!" I motioned to the water on the other side of the walkway. He laughed a bit as he hovered.

"Don't you bathe with your sister?" he asked, his eyebrows perked up. I struggled to keep my expression firm.

"She's my _sister_, not my _brother_," I thought it would be the end of the conversation, but when I glanced back at him; I could tell he wasn't in the mood to drop it.

"What are you so afraid of, Penny?" he was teasing me, and I was still too flustered from earlier to find a rebuttal in time.

He swam towards me and I just as quickly swam away, holding my breath as I dove under, tucking the towel so it wouldn't fall away. The darkness allowed me to come up on the other side of the walkway, and as I caught my breath, I leaned against it, glancing out to find him also missing. My heart rate picked up a bit as I floated there, moving my head around until hands met my ankles, yanking me back down under the water. I could barely fumble quick enough to swim back to the surface, glaring at Groose as he leaned against the stone with a smug grin as I struggled to push my bangs out of my eyes.

"You ruined my braid," I commented, moving a hand to straighten it out. He perked up an eyebrow.

"You ruined my pompadour," he responded. I rolled my eyes.

"You did that to yourself," I quickly replied.

Groose skewed his mouth to the side as he found himself at loss for words and after a moment, he moved his hand, scooping up water as he splashed at me. Even though I had been floating a few feet away, it hit me like a title wave, and even when I splashed back at him, I could barely tell if I was hitting him as more water gushed at me. It continued until we seemingly switched places, my legs thankful for the rest as I pressed myself against the rock. I was still catching my breath when Groose yanked me away from it again, my body turning to meet his ready to fight back when we both froze.

Suddenly something that had been so innocent had turned into something that left a tingle in my spine. My arm was still in the air with his hand wrapped around my wrist, my hand on his chest as I failed in pushing him away. If it wasn't for the rock beneath our feet next to the walkway, we probably would've drowned by how still we were. I stayed fixated on my hand for as long as I could, wondering where this was going. The fluttering in my heart stilled, and I dared to finally look up to meet his eyes, finding mostly confusion locked behind his golden stare.

I felt my insecurities rising again as I wondered just what was keeping him this way. I offered a sheepish smile before pushing softly again at his chest.

"Hey," he breathed and as my eyes flickered back to his, my mind failed to register what it meant as his head dipped closer and before I could breathe out, his lips covered mine. Eyed wide, I froze, before feeling my body go limp in the water as he let go of first my arm and then backed away, the same confusion still there, but almost different in every which way.

I felt my lips stay parted as he moved to keep himself afloat, looking away from me. His hair hung in his face and I was almost relieved that I couldn't see his expression, knowing it would either make my heart flutter or sink to the bottom of this pond. I wanted to ask him what had compelled him and yet, I didn't; knowing my fear of rejection was still something I had not worked on. I heard him gulp before he swam to the edge, and as he pulled himself up, I turned away, embarrassed, flustered and beyond confused. What was that? What was _this_? I wanted to sink into the water and hide forever, if only to cool the heat radiating off my face.

After hearing the grass crunch a bit, I saw Groose standing at the edge of the path, a dry towel wrapped around his still bare chest as he patted his hair a bit. I took that as the hint to also get out, making sure my body was well hidden behind the tree in the area as I dressed, not caring to fully dry off. I wanted to get back to the temple as soon as possible, not only to sleep away the confusing night, but to have somebody else there to stop it from happening again. As much as my heart willed for it, my mind was right to state that under the circumstances, it wasn't right. I held my bag and wringed out towel tight to my chest, and slowly as we walked, I could feel both of our walls building right back up after we had worked so hard to tear them away.

The old woman looked at us suspiciously as we returned, but stayed silent, something I was eternally grateful for. It stayed quiet as no more voices were heard, the crackling of the new fire working to dry us off. I wrapped my blanket around my shoulders, and after noting the solemn look on Groose's face, I turned away, lying down. It was agony, not knowing what he was thinking, but as I let sleep come over me, I still smiled, my inner self relishing in the short lived intimate moment.

* * *

><p>Morning broke drastically differently than the morning before. With loud rumbling, the entire temple shook more violently than it had ever done previously, and as I lifted myself out of my slumber, I already found Groose and the old woman darting out of the temple. When I joined them I figured I would find the Imprisoned attacking, but instead, rocks fell from the sky and I rubbed at my face, wondering if I was still dreaming. The rocks grew bigger, and after noticing that a large chunk of what looked like an island from the sky started to descend, all three of us jumped back, holding onto the temple doors as the Goddess statue from Skyloft rumbled into place in the giant crater that once held the large beast. From atop the statue dropped Link, and without words, he ran to us, a bright smile on his face as he looked at the old woman.<p>

"Zelda should be awakening now," she whispered.

I watched as not just Link but Groose scrambled, the red-head pausing at the portal as Link ran around it, up the stairs towards the now opening doors. I stayed planted next to the old woman as an audible gasp was heard, the figure only known as Zelda emerging, her body caught by Link as she stumbled a bit. I gulped, darting my eyes towards Groose who seemed a little dejected. The old woman moved to stand near him at the portal as the others met them. I stayed by the door, unsure of where I belonged. Zelda glanced at all of us, and I couldn't help but notice her hand in Link's.

"It's all over…" she breathed and blinked softly, glancing at Groose with mild appreciation. He gushed a bit and looked away, and after I figured what she had spoken was true, a disturbance entered the room, a large burst of energy appearing between Link and Zelda, my body slamming against the door in surprise. Suddenly there was a new danger, this time a man, his evil grin penetrating fear into all of us. He grabbed at a fighting Zelda before knocking her out, gathering her over his shoulder as she fainted. Link reached out and he turned.

"My Master will soon be awakened," his voice echoed out and as he approached the portal, I stepped forward as Groose moved to protect the old woman, the strange man seemingly knocking both of them away with the flick of his wrist. He disappeared just as Link had done earlier through the gate, and before I could realize what had occurred, Link was at the old woman's side. I rushed to help, lifting her head up a bit.

"You must go," she encouraged, looking to Link. He eagerly nodded and moved, leaping through the gate after the mysterious man. I moved to position the old woman where she could sit on the steps and turned, feeling eyes on the back of my head. Groose was staring at me as Link ran ahead of him, and after a moment he reached out. I hesitantly gripped his hand and found him holding a small smile.

"Come on," he urged.

His word was all I needed and yet I felt my mind trying to mentally prepare myself for whatever was about to happen. Was this the burden that Link and Zelda had been carrying this entire time? At this point, I knew nothing; but pushed forward a brave face as we both moved towards the unknown.


	9. The End

**A/N: Short chapter, but the next chapter doesn't really fit well with this, so I had to split it up a bit. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>I didn't know what I would find on the other side of what, I wasn't yet sure of. It truly was a new mystery to wrap my head around. We emerged into what looked just like the sealed grounds but instead of the old woman, stood someone I wasn't familiar with, but with how fast Link approached her, I figured she was on our side. Breathing out, I hardly remembered I had been holding my breath the entire time. As Groose separated from me, I took in my surroundings, familiar but still distant in my mind. Then I realized what the portal did; it <em>was<em> the sealed grounds.

It wasn't where I was that was different; it was when.

I kept my distance as Link helped the woman up, her piercing gaze looking to both Groose and I before looking back to Link.

"It's Ghirahim…" she trailed, and I tried to understand everything she was saying.

Was this Ghirahim the root of all of this? The reason why Zelda disappeared and Link was responsible for saving her? She pushed Link to run outside, something that urged the rest of us to do the same, both Groose and I helping the woman to her feet. Outside the clear blue sky I had grown accustomed to on the surface was now a darkened abyss and sent a harsh shiver down my spine.

We all met at the edge of the crater that was now present, another indication we were in another time. Down below stood the man, Zelda obviously unmoving from the ground next to him. As he moved, he willed Link to meet him for battle, but as he moved to jump down, a barrier was erected, forcing all of us back. The deep rumble in the ground made it obvious something more was coming, and while Link moved forward with his sword drawn, Groose's arm pushed me and the woman behind him. I peered over to see the stampede coming, full of the same monsters that had been littering Faron Woods.

Link went at them full force, screaming as they disappeared with hits from his sword. I realized then that not even Groose could keep back the left over hoard heading to the temple. I closed my eyes tight, but as I felt my body being tossed back again and thought it was truly over, a brighter aura surrounded me. Upon glancing up, I realized that the woman had pushed Groose out of the way, and was now shielding us from danger, with a power I would never be able to understand. I moved to help Groose stand, still unsure of how we'd be able to help with no weapons and nowhere near having powers like this woman.

I looked back down to where Link was fighting off the beasts, and was surprised to find how well he was succeeding in doing so. Either the monsters were really as dimwitted as they appeared to be, or Link really had grown during his journey. By the time he finally reached the bottom, the woman had lowered her shield, making it easier for us to draw nearer, holding our breaths as he confronted the man.

Without warning, Zelda's body was projected to the sky, it hovering over the crater as the man called Ghirahim and Link confronted. Groose's eyes seemed fixated on her floating body and after observing the situation, I nudged him towards the spiral path. He looked at me for an answer.

"She's going to fall," I spoke fast, glancing back down to find Link having the upper hand at the moment.

To me, I really didn't know what would happen. But as the man toppled over, the earth shook again, and as the black smoke cleared, it was obvious what had been awakened once more. As my breath left me at the sight of the Imprisoned, the situation became even more alarming as it inhaled, gathering the light that was leaving her body. Her screams were hard to hear, and when I looked at both the woman and Groose, I couldn't stand to hear them any longer, knowing it was affecting us all in different ways.

The aura around the beast started to change, and as it did, a new darkness surrounded the temple, and after the dust settled, the man was replaced by a new monster, one that was, even from my distance, visibly double Link's size, and as he spoke, a deafening tone echoed. It didn't take long for him to aim up at Zelda's body and as I had predicted, she wavered from her spot in the sky. Before I could even take a second glance at Groose, he had leapt over the ledge, landing with a running start as he dove to catch her, a small puff of smoke making it unclear as to what had happened.

The woman held me from starting after him, and when I looked back to the pit, I could understand why. The large demon had disappeared, in his place a larger pool of black smoke. I held my breath again as I watched Link pause. He looked up and I met where he was looking, finding Groose holding Zelda.

"She's ok!" he shouted before looking back at us. Link looked over as well.

"Impa, take care of my friends!" he shouted.

Without another word he stepped into the darkness and vanished, leaving the woman next to me to urge me to stand. I turned to find Groose already meeting us, Zelda hanging limp in his arms as he carried her. As the woman I knew now as Impa rushed to open the temple door for him, I found myself unsure of what to do, more so than before. Still, I followed, watching as Impa again opened the large doors in the back of the temple, Groose moving to place her inside before Impa pushed him out, again using her magic to close and seal the door. He fell defeated onto the stairs next to me, and I wondered if he was even remotely close to being ok.

Impa stared at us, but her expression left me unknowing if she was upset by our presence or thankful for it. I couldn't help but feel like I didn't belong, wondering why Groose had even urged me to follow through the portal back to this time. I decided to just stay still where I stood, not bothering to try and form a coherent sentence. His eyes weren't meeting mine anyways, and I figured after all this, they wouldn't for a long time.

I didn't count the minutes it took for Impa to breathe in deeply, as if she knew something we didn't. She opened back door again, and as I watched Groose help the recuperating Zelda up, I backed up, not wanting to get in the way. Impa stood watching the sky through the crack in the ceiling before glancing down as Link appeared, as if through thin air, his eyes meeting hers in a knowing way.

"You have done well, Link," she whispered before nodding towards us, motivating me even more to slink away near the gate by Impa.

"It's over," Zelda murmured and I glanced to see Link approach her as she openly cried, prompting Groose to also pass them.

"Nice going you two…" he trailed off, but my ears picked up at the mention of something in relation to _The Legend of Groose_. When I turned, I found him smiling softly to himself. "That's a little joke," he offered before choosing a spot next to me, making me equally as nervous as out of place I already felt I was. Impa met him with gratitude and it was all the proof I needed to know I didn't belong. I looked over my shoulder at the gate and sighed, knowing I would not be able to activate it until all of us were ready to leave.

"Are you ok?"

I looked back to see Groose glancing down at me, but I ignored him, not really knowing what to say back. The others were just about to join us when Link was called back to the top of the stairs by the spirit of his sword once more. Zelda still reached us, and I held my breath as she glanced from me to Groose, hesitating to smile.

"Thank you," she spoke and I sighed, still not knowing how to respond. Groose sighed before glancing away, all our eyes meeting the discussion Link was having with the sword spirit Fi. The sword had been placed in the pedestal, and now, it seemed that the burden Link had been carrying was being lifted.

"Will you be going with us, Impa?" Zelda asked. I turned to meet the woman shaking her head. As Link turned to us, Zelda gasped. "What? Impa, why? Come with us!" she urged.

The stoic woman shook her head.

"I am a being of this age, my place is here," she explained.

It was solemn to see Zelda plead with Impa as she explained we would need to travel back, her place here to destroy the portal between the two times. It was more than I understood still at the moment, but when I saw Zelda handing over one of her bracelets to the woman, I realized she meant a lot more to her than I could ever comprehend. As this happened, Link beckoned us towards the gate, and after looking back at Impa one last time, we were gone, sent back to our own time and the present sacred grounds.

Upon arrival, the gate evaporated, and I found myself stuck in my place as Groose and Link ran towards the old woman, Zelda standing next to me as she observed the reunion. After a few moments, I watched as she approached the two men separating as Zelda's hand met the old woman's. On her wrist sat the bracelet; it was Impa. I didn't get the chance to approach before she too disappeared, as if knowing that the danger was gone, it was time for her to leave this earth.

As she left, the back temple doors opened again, revealing a rush of sunlight and an even larger garden. The sword still sat in its stone, and with the room as its backdrop, it was an uplifting sight. Even though I had little part in their journey, as I saw the light appear on Link and Zelda's face, I knew then that it was truly over.

* * *

><p>The sky had returned to a beautiful shade of blue, and as the wind hit my skin, I couldn't help but breathe in my surroundings. I walked outside more to get away from the prying eyes of a certain red-head, but also to check the horizon for the rescue party Link had travelled to the surface to gather. It was right about the time that I saw the glimmer of red followed by a rainbow of other colors that I realized that I was really going home.<p>

Zelda rushed outside to meet her father as they touched down, and after realizing that Groose's friends Cawlin and Strich were also here, I laughed, not realizing how missed the man could really be. I waited until Peatrice landed her Loftwing a little bit away from the crowd before I eagerly approached her, hugging her as if she hadn't been the one to get me in this mess to begin with.

"Woah," she mumbled before peeling me away, but after seeing my eager grin, she copied it, pointing to the sky as my own Loftwing lowered to the ground, yelping at me as I hugged his neck. I let my eyes wander towards the others, watching as Groose approached his friends, his usual cocky smile back as he pulled a hugging Cawlin off of him. He glanced over for only a moment, but I didn't let the gaze last any longer. It was a little too much. When I met Peatrice's raised eyebrow instead, I knew I had a lot of explaining to do.

"Just what was that?" she barked before poking my arm. "You looked at him all…" she paused and I shook my head.

"We aren't even back home and you're pestering me," I tried to joke, breathing out as she bought it, giggling to herself. We perched ourselves on our birds and after watching Link and Zelda land atop the statue, she looked to me. It was time. With a nod, I beckoned my Loftwing up, the two of us gaining momentum before we flew up towards them, waving a small goodbye before jetting off.

My heart fell then, wondering if it was right to leave without talking with Groose. Sure, we didn't have much privacy with Zelda being there, but then again we would have even less privacy once we returned to Skyloft. I blushed as I realized we hadn't properly talked since he kissed me unexpectedly in the pond. How would I ever explain _that_ to my sister?

As we broke through the thick cloud and I saw Skyloft, I was suddenly hesitant to go back to the way things were. I had discovered a new side of not only Groose, a former rival, but myself, something that had changed me in ways I didn't want to lose. I felt so eager to return, but now, as we landed, it was bitter-sweet to see a reunion party already gathering.

I knew they were more eager to meet the others, and without question, we were able to break away, Peatrice back to her old self as she ranted and raved about Link's visits and I still smiled at the pitch of her voice as she mentioned Fledge, who had been surprising her with flowers since I had left.

My life had drastically changed when I landed on the surface, and it didn't take long for me to grow accustomed to it. Now, as I walked across the surface of Skyloft, I felt like a stranger, silently nodding at my sister's excitement. As I looked back at the excitement of Link and Zelda's return, I frowned.

Change was such a welcomed thing, and yet now, I wanted everything to go back to the way it was. I stayed staring at the crowd until Groose's head popped up, his gaze reaching across the plaza to me, reaffirming my fears of being home. My heart fluttered as he stared and I reluctantly looked away.

I never wanted to lose that feeling.


	10. A New Beginning

**A/N: I totally jumped the gun and posted this without putting in block lines XD haha oh... **

I didn't know what to say; I _never_ knew what to say. It was a flaw I knew I had to work on, and yet, even when I thought I knew what to speak, it always came out wrong and in the end, I ended up hurting more people than I meant to. It was exactly the situation when it came down to what to say to her.

Penny.

She had been so patient, and out of any other nice thing I could say about her, nothing would be as important to me as that trait. Every time I had yelled at her or belittled her, sure she would get upset and occasionally storm off, but always had an apology ready, something I had never offered her in return. Penny had become a burden when she landed on the surface after me, but her small frame was concealing a great deal of determination, something I couldn't help but admire.

While I was distracted with doing everything I could to help, she went along; helped build the Groosenator, helped gather materials and even outwitted a monster, saving both of us. There was either something about this place that had changed her, or she had always been this way and I was too dimwitted to realize it.

We were never friends back home on Skyloft, but we weren't sworn enemies like I had considered Link to be. Here, we discovered our emotional flaws and worked past them time and time again, and reluctantly, my tough exterior was chipped away, something that made me not only nervous, but curious.

Link had noticed it, eyeing me suspiciously as I grew a little more introverted, my remarks more spoken to cover up any suspicion. First of all, it would be a distraction, and I still wasn't sure what I was going to do once Zelda was ok. My heart still hurt when I thought about her, but I figured very quickly into our stay in the temple that Link wasn't just destined to save her, but to be with her on an entirely different emotional level.

It was the equivalent of being dumped, and like any sane person would react, I got selfish and ate up the attention and company of Penny, who was willing to provide it. She too looked at me with anxious eyes every night, and after I realized that the gloss in her gaze was not sadness but longing, I grew even more nervous.

To me, she was seeing me in a different light, just as I was seeing her. The glare she usually held in my direction was now a soft gaze, and if prolonged, her lips always parted before she would look away, an unknown sadness enveloping her. I had stupidly chocked it up to her being homesick.

She had thanked me on several occasions, and it wasn't always for something trivial; it was just her being polite. In my own defense, I could do nothing but crack crude jokes back, holding my breath as she rolled her eyes but ignored them. Again, she was being patient.

Penny had agreed to help me figure out what I need to change about my personality to better appeal to girls, and in my mind I was still bent on stealing Zelda's heart away from Link. Still, she offered advice, and after seeing the look on her face after I complemented her, I wondered if I was betraying my feelings toward Zelda when I felt my heart skip a beat.

I knew I was being a sap when I petted her hair, but was captivated by the soft look she offered, and didn't really care about how I looked at the moment. Even she seemed surprised by how I had acted, but never said a word, just going along with it.

And then she forgave me for driving her out of the temple to the flood unknowingly, still, she spoke in a way that assured me she wouldn't stay angry. I realized then that I didn't want her angry at me anymore. It was then that I felt something changing in my gut. My mind couldn't understand it yet, but when she smiled at me across the fire that night, the comfort I felt was too drastically different from any feeling I had ever previously had. It was confusing, but in the best way possible.

In my mind, I had always thought that Zelda was perfect, and while I still thought she was, I realized that it was impractical to think with my flaws I would ever end up with a girl like her. I had been too rude to both her and Link and now, all could hope for was a fresh start, one that meant forgoing any future steady relationship with her. It was a thought I kept to myself as I found my eyes wandering to Penny every morning now, her form and attitude hard to decipher.

It was becoming too second nature being around her, seeing her every morning when I woke up and having her always present, but towards the end, it wasn't something I resented any longer. I had started to like her as a true friend; somebody I hoped would stay that way when we returned to Skyloft. Then I stumbled across her in the pond, and while I knew I would have reacted in similar ways to any naked woman bathing, the twisting in my stomach provoked me to think otherwise.

I was confused again, especially when she offered to share the water. We had returned to our normal comfort, teasing and joking around until I stupidly took it too far. Her hand had met my chest and as I gazed down at her, I felt my breath leave me, seeing the same expression on her features. She hesitated before meeting my gaze, and I didn't offer myself any explanation for what I did next.

I didn't really fully comprehend what might happen after I kissed Penny. Then again, I didn't really think about kissing her, nor did I have an answer for her confused stare. I was thankful for the push away, giving me the chance to get away from the situation before my body reacted without my mind's permission again. My heart was racing but I couldn't push through the mental barrier of what was causing it.

And then it was over; I had no chance to speak with Penny between the events at the pond to when we were finally able to rest the evil that had surrounded the temple, and return to our own time. I hadn't expected Penny to take off in such a hurry when her sister arrived. Then again, I didn't know what _to_ expect from her. As Cawlin and Strich eyed me suspiciously, I could only offer a trademark grin, one I knew I was faking.

We too traveled back to the sky after learning Link and Zelda would be returning soon after. In the crowd of people gathered to reunite the lost residents of Skyloft, I searched, eager to find Penny so I could set things straight. When I finally saw her, she was already standing on the other side of the plaza with Peatrice, her gaze not fully meting mine before she looked away, the two walking towards their home. I thought to follow when Cawlin brought me back to the group, our classmates eager to know what had happened on the surface. I sighed, knowing it was for the best.

After all, I wouldn't have known what to say to Penny. I never knew.

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><p>It was <em>over<em>. At least by what Link and Zelda encouraged, the fear any of the citizens of Skyloft and those of the surface was safe to let go of. We had traveled back to the surface and while the two lingered below the clouds, it wasn't surprising they were returning for a brief visit, one I knew wouldn't be their last, but I also knew it was significant.

The two had decided to make a life out of the surface and while it was more dangerous than living on Skyloft, it was also more prosperous. Not many citizens understood, but I knew from the very beginning it was also so they could protect the temple in place of Impa. In the back of my mind I knew it was also so they could finally focus on a life together, something I figured Zelda had wanted long before the Wing Ceremony and storm that had started the entire ordeal.

It was something that was hard for not just her father to swallow, but just as quickly as we hand landed back in Skyloft, Groose was back to pouting in the halls of the academy, and I assumed it was due to Zelda's impending move to the surface. It had crushed any hope of keeping the connection we had developed on the land, and pushed me into a similar depression as I returned to normal life in Skyloft. Peatrice was quick to notice the tension and longing looks and while I wouldn't admit to her I was distressed, I already knew she understood what was happening. Her devastation over Link was momentary, at best, as if she had gotten over him in the time he was traveling. In his place visited a more socially developed Fledge, his daily fistful of flowers overbearing on my sister's night table. Once again I was jealous of my sister, but in a different way; she was happy and for once, I could hardly call myself that.

It had been a normal morning for me as I worked to keep the house clean, Peatrice off on a date with Fledge while father worked the shop. I had been hesitant to be out of the house for too long, not wanting to break my emotional wall. I was truly upset with myself for behaving in this way, but with having no forest to walk through to collect my thoughts, and nightly stories of how happy Peatrice was sent me to the edge. I had found the courage to walk to the well for fresh water when I realized that Groose was standing in the plaza, and he had noticed me. I widened my eyes and turned back to my house. I was only two steps from my door when I saw the shadow behind me and felt a solemn smile push at my lips.

"Penny," Groose offered a smile as I turned, letting my arms hug the bucket of water closer to my chest. He drew closer. "Can we talk?" he asked timidly. I raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" I asked, moving my foot so it leaned against the door. Groose frowned suddenly and lowered his head.

"I can't talk to anybody else…" his pathetic level reached its limit as I turned around, moving to unlock the door and leave it just wide enough for him to slide in. I locked it behind me without realizing and as I turned to face him, I found him eagerly staring back at me. "Do you think I'm sad about Zelda?" he suddenly burst, his eyes wide as he pushed his arms out.

The words stung, but at the same time, it surprised me and after a moment I looked away, moving towards the kitchen to keep myself busy. If this is what the conversation was going to be then I needed to have a distraction. My mind didn't like being jealous.

"It appears that way," I answered, moving to place the bucket into the sink. Groose moved to stand next to me, his frown apparent as he sighed.

"I am sad, but that's just because things won't be the same," I focused on a spot on the ceiling. "I just didn't think they'd decide to live down there," his voice lowered for a moment. "I will miss…" I didn't let him finish before speaking out.

"What else do you expect to feel when you love somebody?" I knew my voice had cracked at the end, and yet I figured it would go unnoticed until I realized Groose looking at me, my vision glazing over as I instantly regretted what I said. I gulped and glanced back at the water. "I think you should go now," I urged, not moving my eyes from the floor.

"Hey," his voice rang out and I clenched my teeth to prevent any tears from surfacing. "Link loves Zelda," he paused again. "I'm not in that picture…" I hesitated to glance at his face, surprised to see him holding a serious gaze. "Don't you think I realized that down there?" he asked before sighing. I softened my gaze and breathed out as I calmed myself down. I didn't like how on edge I was.

"Well what are you going to do now?" I asked before hesitantly looking at him. He tilted his head to the side before smiling softly.

"I'm think I need to get over being dumped," he explained, creasing his eyebrows together a bit. I chuckled softly.

"You'll find somebody one day…" I tried not to sound too upset as I encouraged him, but was surprised by the return of his serious gaze.

"I've learned that it's ok to move on," he gulped as he kept his eyes on mine. "and to let my eyes wander…" he finished and I didn't know what to say, so I stayed silent, figuring he would offer something more as explanation. "Can we…" he frowned a bit before pushing though a smile again. "Can we be friends, Penny?" he asked.

My smile was all the response he needed before a wide grin appeared across his face and before I could respond, he had crushed me into a hug, the _last_ thing I had expected from him. As I moved to hug him back, I could feel and hear his heart racing, why, I didn't want to guess why. What did he mean just now by letting his eyes wander? I blinked, knowing it didn't need to be important. Right now, Groose wanted to be friends, and I was more than willing to oblige. Still, in my heart, I hoped it would eventually blossom into something more.


	11. The Start

**A/N: So kind of a filler, but gets the ball rolling for some non-canon story. Also, what are your opinions on after game happenings... meaning, what do you think happened after the canon ending of SS?**

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><p>The persistent rattling in my head made it clear I really was home. I had only been back in Skyloft for a day and yet all the rambling Peatrice had been doing had me wondering if I was sick from the climate change or the amount of information coming in. I hadn't even recovered from what had happened on the surface and now, she was desperate for my advice or input on gossip, something I realized I hadn't missed.<p>

Catching up, I learned that her letter was pretty accurate for how disoriented it was. Fledge really had went through a transformation of his own; bulked up physically and emotionally enough to pursue Peatrice. It was obvious by the amount of flowers littering her desk and item check table that something had changed in her mind as well. Sure, she had complained about the amount of times he visited her, but every blush and sigh didn't fool me.

It didn't take long for the chatter about Pipit and Karane to flourish either, and it was obvious that Cawlin was the biggest adversary for it. I hadn't had the opportunity to see it first hand, but the short academy student was upset and taking it out on everybody.

While normality had settled across the small town, it was still strange to not see the crimson and violet Loftwings flying above; a clear indication Link and Zelda really had chosen to stay on the surface. It hadn't been decided yet if any others would follow, or if it was even safe or probable for anyone else besides them.

From what Link had told us, there was much more than Faron Woods and for now, even supervised visits were risky. It went over pretty well with most of the citizens of Skyloft, but it was hard to take; this was my home, but I yearned to go back and explore more of what the surface had to offer.

Getting back into the routine of things wasn't difficult; Peatrice had me sit with her through almost every work shift, trying to pry ideas out of me on how to improve the shop. I was more than welcome to help, but one thing that had changed in my sister was the curious eye she held every time I spoke or did something. It had me wondering what was so different about me. I had been arranging Fledge's flowers into a vase Gonzo constructed, mindlessly humming when she hummed out loud.

"So…" I gazed at her as she spoke. "Are you going to tell me what happened down there?" she asked. I paused, wondering where her question had come from, before shaking my head with a small chuckle.

"I'm surprised you've waited so long to ask," I shrugged, knowing many of the events that occurred on the surface I still wanted to keep to myself. "A lot happened, Peatrice," I mumbled, looking back to the flowers. I sighed as I heard her scoff.

"_Please_," she slid closer and made her face more present. "I heard a lot about Link's troubles already," she eyed me harder. "But I also heard about you and some jerk with a pompadour,"

"He's not a _jerk_," I snapped before realizing what I had just said. Peatrice widened her eyes before an evil grin I was far too familiar with appeared.

"I _knew_ it!" she remarked, making even Sparrot look over. "Link mentioned something odd going on between you but he didn't tell me you fell in _love_!" My eyes widened this time around as I waved my hands at her, my face flushing with color.

"_Peatrice_!" I shook my head. "It takes more than a week to fall in love with somebody!" I urged, and by the look on her face, I could tell I still wasn't out of this grave. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an expectant eyebrow.

"Are you admitting you like him?" she asked then.

I felt my lips purse and my blood boil slighter. She was lucky she was my sister, or I would have thrown her off a cliff. At this point, I was surprised I hadn't just gone ahead and done it anyways, regardless of the fact she would be saved by her Loftwing. I had been trying to figure this out myself ever since he asked to be friends; was it him saying that's all he wanted, or was his talks about letting his eyes wander an indication of something else. My hopes were mixed up, and my sister wasn't helping.

"Peatrice…" I frowned, knowing no matter how much I fought, she would always win. Her expression softened as I nodded my head, but I still made it clear I was glaring at her. "You need to stay out of this,"

"Like that will stop me," As she rolled her eyes, I looked at her suspiciously. "Plus, I don't even approve, so-"

"_What_?"

I resisted the urge to scream, but found myself confused as to what Peatrice's motives were. She stuck out her lounge before turning back to her own business, ignoring me. I was now frustrated, but knew I could do little about it. Either my sister had just pranked me, or it was just her usual self and I wasn't used to it in my state. Deciding it would be best to cool off, I broke away from her, relishing in the fresh air that greeted me outside. It didn't take long for my headache to return, and knowing I still had a bottle of spring water from the temple on the surface, I made a beeline for my house. I knew somebody had been following me, but it wasn't until the tap on my arm that I turned.

"Oi," Cawlin looked up at me, a glare on his face, which instantly made me furrow my brows. What was his attitude for? He gulped after realizing and glanced away with a sigh. "Do you know why Groose is ignoring me?" he mumbled. I let my expression soften as the question startled me.

"Why are you asking me?" I asked. Cawlin pouted for a moment before crossing his arms.

"Well…" he trailed. "Groose has talked about two things since he's been back and it's the Groosenator and you," his words left me even more uneasy. Hearing my silence, he continued. "Anyways, he went to bed last night and now nobody can get him out of his room," he finished and looked at me with an eager expression. I was still a little startled.

"Um…" I gulped. "What do you want me to do?" I looked at Cawlin a little confused, still unsure of what was going on. He shrugged.

"I don't know, something?" he responded before looking back at the path he had followed me on. "Come on, I don't have all day,"

I let the glare resurface and made him stand outside before venturing into my home, grabbing what I had originally left the item check and Peatrice for. With the bottle of spring water pushed into my bag, I wondered if I'd even get the chance to relax and drink it if I would have to play problem solver for the rest of the day. Upon reaching the bottom floor of the academy, Cawlin paused in front of Groose's door before perking his head up.

"I have an idea," he mumbled before moving to open another door, and after being shuffled in by the boy, I found myself in what I assumed as their room, Cawlin already moving a small shelf so he could get access to the wooden panel that separated the room from Groose's. I watched as he pulled one loose, handing it over to Strich before looking through.

"I _knew_ the boss was just sleeping in," he mumbled, before pulling me over, waving at the gap. "Go through and unlock the door for us," I peered at him.

"Don't you think you should let him sleep?" I mumbled. Cawlin scowled right back at me and after observing I was the only one of us that could fit through, I sighed, turning so I could squeeze through. After moving to unlock the door, I gazed back at the red-head in question, his back to us as Cawlin advanced towards him, overly eager.

"Hey man, time to get up, its pumpkin soup time!" he encouraged, but after the larger man rolled, I could now tell why Cawlin had a hard time waking him up. Groose grumbled in his sleep before Cawlin frowned, noting the sweat dripping from his brow. "Woah, what's wrong?" he glanced at me, and I felt just as confused until I finally figured he was probably suffering from the change in atmosphere, just as I was, but on a more severe level. Cawlin observed my calmer expression and I offered a smile.

"He's just sick," I explained, before moving a little closer, trying to act as calm as possible so that I didn't get a tirade similar to Peatrice's from him. Groose was delirious, his low mumbles evidence that he was either caught in an intense dream, or wasn't quite sure of how to respond to us. We both looked at him for a moment before I opened my bag, sighing as I sacrificed my bottle of water to Cawlin. "Here, give this to him," I offered. Cawlin looked at it for a moment.

"What's so special about this water?" he asked, wincing a bit. I watched as he struggled to tilt Groose's head up and sighed, opting to help him, knowing the redness in my cheeks was going to be apparent any moment now as my hand cupped the back of his head. Cawlin popped out the cork then.

"It's sacred water from the secret grove back on the surface," I explained. Cawlin was just about to tilt the bottle towards Groose's mouth when the redhead responded.

"I'd like to enter _your_ secret grove…" Groose mumbled in his slumber, his face turning to press further into the pillow. I felt an intense heat hit my face as Cawlin looked at me with wide eyes, but laughed it away.

"Be still my heart," I joked, trying to settle the awkwardness.

Cawlin kept his dumbfounded gaze as I adjusted Groose's head so Cawlin could pour. I gulped as I moved my hand to press his chin up so he could swallow, hoping the situation wouldn't get any more strange. Cawlin kept at it until most of the water was gone, closing the bottle when Groose moved to roll over again. It was then that Cawlin looked at me, and shoved the bottle at me before jumping up. I widened my eyes as I realized what he was doing.

"Stay here while I go get some soup for when he wakes up,"

Before I could even mutter a word, he jumped through the door, leaving me stranded, my hands still around Groose's head. I widened my eyes before I snapped them back to me, wondering if I really had to sit here and wait for Cawlin to fly all the way to the Lumpy Pumpkin and back before I could leave. This wasn't exactly how I wanted to spend my day, but in the back of my head I knew there was something about this that was ok.

I decided to sit down on the closest stool before observing the room, already feeling uncomfortable at the sight of the self-portrait hanging above the desk in the corner. Sighing, I brought my arms to my chest, letting my elbows rest on my knees as I leaned my head in my hands. Closing my eyes, I tried to distract myself from where I was, thinking more about what I would do now that I was back home. I was only in my own thoughts for a minute before I heard more grumbles coming from the bed, an when I glanced over, found Groose pushing himself up to sit, his hand rubbing at his head.

"Uh," I gulped, standing but staying where I was next to the stool. Groose raised an eyebrow at me, his eyes adjusting to being awake.

"What's going on?" he asked and I hesitated before moving back over, offering the bottle of water again. He glanced up at me as he moved to drink more.

"Cawlin wanted to check up on you," I shrugged, glancing away. "Turns out you were sick, and lucky you I had some sacred water,"

"That's not fair," he pouted and I glanced back at him as he turned a bit to stare at me. I raised my eyebrows. "Why couldn't _you_ be sick and_ I_ nurse you back to health," I pretended not to hear his comment, thinking he must have not been thinking straight yet.

"Does it make you less of a man to be taken care of by a girl?" I asked, placing a hand on my hip. Groose rolled his eyes before standing up to stretch, my eyes darting to the ceiling as I realized he had been sleeping in just his undergarments.

"Don't be so embarrassed," he teased. I still refused to glance down until I heard the ruffling of clothing and saw him looking at the bottle some more. "Since we're friends now…" he paused before glancing at me again. I couldn't help but feel nervous in his gaze, wondering why the tone of his voice had changed so drastically.

"Yeah?" I encouraged, knowing I had sounded just as worried. Groose smiled then, wiggling the bottle a bit.

"Want to join me on a visit down to the surface?" he tilted his head as he moved to finger his hair, pushing it up some more. "Link asked for some help building a house," I licked my lips nervously.

"Aren't we not allowed to fly down?" I asked. Groose's smug grin knew I wouldn't be getting out of this conversation either.

"Not when you're _the_ Groose,"

I knew there would be no arguing with him, and after realizing that this had been what I had wanted regardless, I agreed, relieved I would be going back to the surface just as quickly as I had returned to Skyloft. I wondered if he had been thinking the same thing; that even in the short time we had been there, it was already a surrogate home, and was starting to become more favored. Cawlin returned soon after with enough soup to go around, and as I watched the two converse about Groose's adventures, I realized that while we would be travelling to the surface, it also meant we would be alone again, at least when away from Link and Zelda.

The thought made me nervous, as since I had gotten in touch with my feelings, I couldn't help but constantly wonder just what was going through Groose's head, and because so much had been left unexplained, maybe returning to where our friendship started would help maybe not just me figure things out. As I sat sipping on my soup I wondered if I'd finally be able to ask the question I had been wanting to and receive an answer not influenced by any outside source. But first, I had to think of the question.


	12. Reading Into It

**A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I have such nice readers :3. Enjoy!**

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><p>I had decided not to let Peatrice know where I was going until the last possible moment, knowing she would either try to intercept or stop it completely. I still wasn't sure of what she was thinking, but I could tell she wasn't all too pleased with the amount of visits Groose was making to the bazar to talk with me. Every time he showed up she aimed embarrassing questions at us, the blunt of her joke almost always targeting me. Still, I worked to ignore her, knowing that if I wanted to, I could just as well embarrass her back with the amount of visits Fledge made to her during the day.<p>

Today was another example of me wondering why Peatrice spent so much time teasing me when every word from her mouth made it sound like she really didn't mind Fledge at all.

"I'm sorry I didn't bring any flowers today," I eyed Peatrice out of the corner of my eye as she leaned across the counter a bit.

"Oh well I have so many already," she beamed, looking around at the vases of flowers that I had actually put together. Fledge smiled just as wide back before clasping his hands nervously in front of him.

"Well, I get them from another island," he paused before tilting his head a bit. "I'd love to show you sometime…" he looked away and I gazed at my sister as her face changed color, her embarrassment obvious. "Maybe today?" Fledge finished and I had to bite my lip hard as to not burst out laughing at Peatrice's wide eyes.

It wasn't a bad thing, and I could tell she was excited, but I knew she was hesitating because of the fact I was there. Pretending I didn't hear, I heard her sigh before she giggled, nodding eagerly.

"Let's go now," she turned and I watched as Fledge's expression dared to explode the room with the amount of joy he was expressing.

I was a little shocked by how much he actually liked my sister, but decided that even she deserved to be wooed. Peatrice looked at me, as if she was bracing for an insult, and after rolling my eyes, I nudged her past me, resting my elbows on the counter as I watched them almost skip out the bazar doors, arms linked. It was ridiculous how eager Peatrice could be with a boy she liked, even a little, and found myself wondering why the trait had skipped me. I was so terrified to even _think_ about my feelings, and it was even harder to consider them when it was obvious that at least in my situation, I would remain a friend.

I felt my smile drop and I breathed out before turning to the shelves, still working on moving the vases of flowers around so they weren't littered on the floor.

"Woah, what's with the long face?" I flinched a bit before turning with a vase still in my hands, gulping as Groose made his presence on the other side of the counter. I blinked before realizing he must have been watching the entire time. Still, I skewed my lips to the side, not liking the fact he had shown up while I had been thinking about him. His eyebrow stayed raised and I offered a small shrug, moving to place the vase down between us. "Was that Fledge with your sister?" he asked, noting my lack of an answer to his first question. I lightly chuckled, nodding.

"I think he asked her out on a date," I explained, observing the laughter that escaped him as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Good ol' Fledge," he mumbled before looking back to me, his hand moving to finger the flowers. "So are you ready to go to the surface today?" His prompt surprised me, but I composed myself before shrugging again.

"I can be," I answered, shifting my eyes to my bag on the other end of the table. "Do I need to bring anything?" I asked. Groose shook his head before plucking out a purple flower from the bunch, gripping it in his hand before stepping back a bit.

"Just meet me by the tower as soon as you can," he instructed.

I didn't have the chance to respond before he walked away, my brain still rattling. The nerves I thought I had settled were now back and I was hesitant to break away from the counter, wondering what I would be subjecting myself to. This time, I wouldn't be shoved into the clouds to the surface, I would be going willingly. After collecting my thoughts I finally moved to grab my bag, slinging it over my shoulder before examining myself to see if I was presentable, or at least equipped for a stay below the clouds. Sighing, I figured it wouldn't matter, knowing that I had gotten by with less. I decided it would be easiest to leave a note for Peatrice, knowing my vagueness would win in the end.

_Went out flying. Be back whenever_.

With a slight chuckle to myself, I too left the bazar, observing the sky as I made my way to the plaza, wondering if anybody would try to stop us from flying through the void in the clouds down towards the sealed grounds. My steps slowed as I reached the tower by the largest diving platform, looking around to see where exactly Groose would surprise me from.

"_Hey_!" Hearing the noise from above, I glanced up to see Groose lowering his Loftwing in front of me, scooting back a bit. I could already feel my eyebrows rising. "Come on," I felt my jaw clench as I realized what he meant.

"I think I'll call my own Loftwing…" I pushed. Groose shook his head, reaching out at me. I moved away a bit.

"We'll be less obvious this way," he assured and as I rolled my eyes he managed to yank at my arm, my body nearly tripping as I landed against the bird.

He laughed as I continued to glare at him before sighing, knowing it was just as better to let Groose win as it was with Peatrice. He helped me up to sit in front of him, probably knowing I would fall off if I had to sit behind him. I instantly went to hold onto the reins, but could feel my hands tensing even more as Groose's chest met my back, his arms moving past my waist to hold another part of the harness. I was glad that the rushing wind distracted him from my awkwardness, my brain telling me I was getting ridiculous with the amount of over reacting that occurred every time we were together.

Groose made it clear he was aiming to get us through the clouds without being seen, gradually floating towards the clouds before jolting us through when no knights were looking. I was relieved when I saw the green of Faron Woods, feeling a soft smile returning to my face as better memories started to return. Sure, a lot of trouble had happened while we were trapped here, but there were many times where I didn't feel trapped at all. Upon landing outside the temple, I let a sigh out, almost thankful to be back.

"_Hello_!"

Zelda practically ran towards us as we dismounted from the giant bird, it prompted by Groose to just lay down where it was in front of the temple doors for now. I greeted her open arms with the hug she wanted, laughing as I saw an eager Link approaching as well. As I parted from Zelda to greet Link, I couldn't help but hear the dumb giggle that escaped Groose, knowing that she had probably hugged him just as excitedly. Zelda made her way to stand near me as Groose simply patted Link on the head, a small smile appearing on Zelda's lips as the blonde boy travelled back to her side.

"So!" Groose crossed his arms over his chest as he observed the two. "What's the plan? Where's this house of yours?" he asked. Zelda smiled.

"It's right inside the forest," she explained, pointing over the horizon of trees. "We just need help gathering a bit more wood for furniture," she continued.

As we all walked through the temple, I sighed, noticing the pile of wood still gathered for the fire near the garden, making the smile on my lips grow a bit. It was nice to see the place untouched, even if Link and Zelda had decided to live a little bit away from the temple. The conversation continued like this for much of the time we spent in the woods, gathering wood from the closest trees, the work turning into a contest of who could carry the most, Groose obviously trying to tease Link.

Zelda talked to me about adjusting to life beneath the clouds, and I decided not to ask why and how she had even found her way here. After all, she had not pestered me about being here, my place in her story still largely unnecessary. Still, she laughed with me as we helped the boys place up the door, hinging it in place. The house they had built in the days since Groose and I departed was impressive, but after hearing they had help from some of the Kikwis, it made more sense as to why they had chosen to place their home where it was.

Sunset had come and gone as we worked, Zelda lighting a fire for us to converge around as we snacked on some fruit they had gathered previously. It was nice to chat about gossip without the usual freak out my sister offered, smiling as Zelda refused to admit her own feelings for Link, that were well above being obvious. The night continued like this; jokes and laughter until it was decided Groose and I were better off staying as to not fly at night.

Following his reputation, Link fell asleep within moments of the group going quiet, Zelda retreating to her bedroll a little ways away from the fire light source. It was slowly dying anyways, and as I observed Groose leaning against a wall, his head drooping as he dozed off, I wondered if I'd be stealthy enough to sneak away, just so I could breathe in the familiar air and surroundings. I didn't stick around to find out, smiling at the bright moon above the tree line as I found myself back in the temple, observing the tree that Link had mysteriously planted in the past so it could exist in this time.

"You know, the last time you snuck off you almost drowned," I turned slightly to find Groose walking up to me, standing near the tree and me. I shook my head.

"I thought I stormed off that time," I corrected. Groose shrugged.

"I just didn't want to irritate you," he offered before looking back to me. "Why'd you leave?" he asked. I gazed back at the tree before letting my expression soften.

"I'm just used to staying _here_," I emphasized. Groose nodded before moving to sit down next to the tree, and after a moment, motioned for me to follow. I felt my shoulders tense up a bit before I sat, only relaxing as I felt the moss almost engulf me. "Why'd you follow?" I asked back, tempting his buttons. Groose shrugged.

"Just didn't want you getting in trouble," he mumbled before leaning against the tree. I raised my eyebrow before looking away, leaning on my arm as I sat. "Well, now what?" he mocked, making me look at him confused. "Know any good jokes?" he prompted. I chuckled a bit before shaking my head.

"I'm afraid I'm only good at being me," I smiled as Groose's expression softened, but his smug smile remained.

"You've got to know _one_ trick," he pushed. I pursed my lips in thought.

"Well… Sparrow did teach me to palm read once…" I trailed. Groose's eyebrow shot up, but he nodded regardless.

"Alright," he stretched out his hand and I blinked at it. "Read me," he teased. I felt my mind pause before I readjusted myself, but laughed at him for a moment.

"You need to take your glove off, Groose," I instructed.

Groose narrowed his eyes a bit before complying, his hand making its way back at me. I felt my breath lodge in my throat for a minute as I cupped my own hand around his, the hairs on the back of my neck rising as I realized how large his hands really were compared to my own. I glanced up at him for a moment only to dart right back to his palm, knowing his gaze was aimed directly at me. I let my index finger lightly trace the largest line on his palm and I concentrated, trying to remember everything Sparrow had told me.

"I…I'm a little rusty," I admitted. After not gaining a response from Groose, I skewed my lips to the side. "You're determined," I mumbled, looking at him as he rolled his eyes.

"Tell me something I _don't_ know," he mocked. I let my smile flatten before I looked back, tilting my head as I tried to decipher what I was seeing.

"You're going to be…a father?" I widened my eyes as I shook my head, feeling Groose's hand tense up. "That can't be right…" I mumbled as Groose stared at me flatly.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," he muttered and I chuckled before he took back his hand, it brushing between my two open palms. I gulped as my lips parted as my mind unable to stop my words. "You're hands are really soft," As Groose paused in placing his glove back on; I widened my eyes and fumbled. "I mean, if you are training all day, how'd they get that way?" Groose's lips tightened and his eyes drifted away.

"I don't know," his voice lowered and he sighed. "Man don't ask such mushy questions…" he trailed off and I felt my shoulders slump, my cheeks heating up as I realized how embarrassed I felt. It was irritating, knowing that this is how it would be; me always doing something that was nerve wracking only to feel dejected by the guy I liked. Groose seemed to be pouting himself, his gaze fixated on the ceiling. I couldn't help but think back to what he had said when he walked in. Creasing my eyebrows together, I thought about the times I had actually wandered off without there being any angry intention and could only find myself getting flustered about the time he had walked into where I had been bathing. My ears heated up even more at the more important event, and I felt my words flying past my lips before I could clamp my hands over my mouth.

"Why did you kiss me that night?"

I watched as Groose's entire body tensed, his eyes staying towards the ceiling as I slowly noticed the panic rising in him. Likewise, I felt the nerves in me rising, knowing there was no backing out of this. Still, I turned a bit, wanting to lunge myself towards the door and fly back to Skyloft, even if that meant stranding him here until somebody else came to get him. Groose moved a bit and I glanced back only to find him with a frustrated expression.

"You know _you're_ the one that asked me to join you that night," he pursed his lips as he crossed his arms. "Who's to say _you_ weren't trying to kiss _me_?" his question made me wonder just what made his brain tick and how his defenses always worked to pin the blame on somebody else. I felt my own mind working against his accusation, and I pointed at him.

"_You're_ the one that didn't give me space!" I argued. Groose huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Even if I stayed on the other side, you can't resist _this_ body!" I felt my mind freeze at his remark before my lips mashed up as I stifled a laugh, watching as his furrowed brow softened as he watched me laugh into my arms. "_Hey_!" he remarked and I shook my head, batting his hand away as he tried to shake my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but…" I let my laughs settle. "You say the most ridiculous things," I offered, trying to defer the conversation. Groose noticed and nodded, moving back to lean against the tree.

"Are you sleeping here?" he asked, changing the subject. I licked my lips nervously before nodding. In a silent truce, he crossed his arms over his chest, beckoning me over. I hesitated to scoot next to him, still on edge from our conversation. The trunk of the tree was large enough for us both to lean against, but as I found myself against the tree, Groose moved to lay down, making my eyes widen and arms raise as his head landed in my lap.

"Wha?" I gasped, but found a small grin on Groose's face as he closed his eyes.

"You owe me for making the Groose flustered," he mumbled before peeking one eye open to acknowledge his head. "I've still got a headache," he hinted before closing his eyes again.

I let my eyebrows furrow before I let a deep sigh go, knowing that it was always going to be hard to win against Groose. As my fingers intertwine in his hair, softening his styled pompadour, he let a low sigh go, making me wonder just how _flustered_ I had made him. It was a question I had wanted to ask, and yet it took me not thinking about it to have it finally come out. It hadn't backfired as much as it could've, and yet, I still didn't have an answer.

I leaned back against the trunk of the tree as my free hand rested near his shoulder, smiling as he breathed out again. While I wouldn't admit it openly, it was something I could definitely get used to.


	13. Battle Wounds

I had grown fond of the feeling of waking up in the sacred temple, and upon returning to Skyloft I never thought I would have another chance to breathe the air the grounds had to offer. It only took a few lazy blinks to realize I had fallen asleep against the tree, and a twitch of my hand to notice Groose had fell asleep right where he had left his head last night; in my lap.

Weighed down, I found it difficult to move, and found myself staring down at the crease in Groose's eyebrows. What was he dreaming about that made him make that expression? I sighed and leaned back against the tree, leaving my hands where they were for the pure reason of not knowing where else to place them. I stared up at the crack in the ceiling, noticing the small glimmer of light beginning to appear. The sun was rising, and if we didn't get back to the small house where Link and Zelda were, we would have to come up with a pretty good excuse as to why we were like the way we were.

"Hmmmello,"

I let my eyes trail down to Groose again as he winced, his lips stretching into a yawn before he sat up, his shoulders slumping as he woke up. I took the chance then to stand up and stretch, sighing as mind still felt tired. I glanced to see Groose pushing his hair back up as much as he could and smirked; following suit as I slowly untied my braid so I could straighten it out.

"Are we going back today?" I asked, watching as he still sat with his back to me as he nodded, hands still in his hair.

"Sooner or later," he responded before glancing over his shoulder a bit. "Have fun?" he questioned and I raised an eyebrow at his question; it was nice to come back to the temple, but our trip was more of a relaxing trip for me rather than a vacation. Still, I nodded, gazing at him as he stood up.

"It was nice to see Zelda and Link," I mentioned instead, shaking my head a bit as my braid fell apart, leaving waves in my hair. Groose held a dreamy look at the ceiling and I could tell what he was thinking about.

"It _was_ nice…" he agreed before his eyes finally met my gaze, my teeth clenching as his eyes widened a bit.

"What?" I mentally yelled at myself, mad at how quick I was to be self-conscious around him. Groose's expression fell for a moment before he glanced away and I thought he would stay silent before his lips twitched into a small smile.

"Your hair…" he trailed and I felt my lips tighten, not sure what he meant. I felt my hair with my fingers, nervously watching as he stared back. "It looks nice like that,"

My gut wrenched in a way I still wasn't familiar with and I felt my mind pause before I responded with a smile, still stuck between tying my hair back or just letting it hang over my shoulder. I was a little overwhelmed, in a good way, until Groose tilted his head in thought.

"You should try styling it like Zelda," This time, my eyes widened and I could feel my gut churn in a way I was all too familiar with. My eyes snapped towards him and he looked a bit startled, but raised his eyebrows. "What? I'm not comparing you-"

"But you are," I interjected, my hands landing on my hips. Groose's eyebrows creased again and I felt my heart beat faster, frustrated at how quickly fights between us could break out. He shook his head as he stepped closer.

"If I was comparing you to Zelda I'd mention something other than your hair," he mentioned and I skewed my lips to the side, only able to hold a glare at him.

"Like _what_?" I hissed, regretting pushing it farther, knowing Groose didn't always think things through.

"She wouldn't start fights with me like this," he paused, his arms tightening across his chest. "She's much nicer than you are," I clenched my teeth and turned a bit, not wanting to see him in fear of saying or doing something stupid. "Zelda is _pretty_ and-"

I guess it wouldn't have mattered what I had been trying not to do once he started _that_ string of words, and as my irritation hit its peak and anger started to boil over, I sharply turned towards him, my arm extending from my chest as, with full force, I punched him square in the jaw, feeling my arm and shoulder shake at the impact.

We both froze at that point, his eyes wide with either shock or fear as I breathed out, reaching up to hold my shoulder a bit before I turned again, stomping away knowing that sometimes actions spoke louder than words. Judging by the lack of footsteps behind me, I had succeeded in making my point, and walked faster as the sun rose even higher over the horizon, my mind working to compose myself. Right as I neared the small house, the door opened, and I held my breath as Zelda appeared, her worried expression softening as she saw me. I was hesitant to smile back but knew there was no point in being mad at her for something Groose had said.

"Where's Groose?" she asked. I decided to shrug before laughing a bit.

"I went looking for him but couldn't find him," I eyed her as she nodded, believing me.

She smiled then and after a moment, Link also appeared from the house, a groggy expression on his face. It was early in the morning, and yet by the look on Zelda's face, I could tell she must have been awake for a while. The look in her eye told me she had her suspicions, and when they flicked past my shoulder, I tried to keep my expression up as she widened her eyes a bit.

"Groose, what happened?" she asked, lifting her arms a bit as he approached, holding a hand to his mouth. I glanced for a moment to see him holding up his other arm, but looked back to the ground so I wouldn't see his face.

"Loftwing got rowdy…" he lied before offering a light chuckle. "I think he wants to go back home," he joked. I looked up again to see Link suppressing a laugh and I had my suspicion he had already realized what had happened. Groose continued to explain he'd be fine to Zelda who after he ignored Link's expression. I was anxious to get away but was somber, all the while wanting to stay where I was. "Penny?" I pursed my lips together as I pulled away from hugging Zelda goodbye, pushing forth a smile as I walked back to where Groose was; ready to walk back to where we had just been.

My eyes stayed forward as we walked, my jaw clenched tightly together so that I didn't feel tempted to say anything. I could feel his eyes on me but stayed focused, not feeling ready to let this go so easily.

"Hey," I felt my body tense as he spoke, but ignored him. "_Penny_," his voice lowered, but I found myself too upset to even bother to feel even slightly guilty.

We approached his Loftwing outside of the side temple door and after finding it calm as I approached, I sighed, already resenting the trip back to Skyloft. I could almost hear Groose's dissatisfaction, and I could understand. Under any other situation, I would have mended the problem, but this time I was beyond frustrated by his words. As he climbed on behind me, I wondered if there was ever a time Groose thought things through more than a few moments. I was distraught, but nowhere close to feeling bad for him. He urged his Loftwing to fly and I barely thought to hold on, almost wishing again that he hadn't invited me down here if this was what was going to happen.

As we broke through the thick cloud, the sun was in full view, the light only helping my spirit rise in the lightest way. We landed on Skyloft without any interception, and I was glad; at this point, I just wanted to go back home and hopefully sleep away my anger. I leapt off the Loftwing as soon as I could, but before I could get very far I heard Groose scrambling after me.

"You can't just ignore me," he tried to warn. I turned only for a moment before moving back in the direction of my house.

"Watch me!" I yelled over my shoulder.

I didn't care how callous I sounded at the moment, but still wondered how long I'd be able to go along with my plan. His words seemed to anger me more and more no matter how sad he sounded and I knew it was because even if I forgave him, what would prevent him from doing something stupid all over again. As I entered my home, I was grateful that both my sister and father were asleep, knowing I was in no mood to explain why I was so flustered. I sat down on my bed, and after breathing out, I wondered why I had even ever considered feelings for the town jerk.

* * *

><p><em>Groose<em>

It was disappointing to know that I had still not learned how to keep my mouth shut when it was most important. It was a combination of still being half asleep and over trust, but deep down, I knew I had only said the things I had said because I was stupid and while I had thought it would be easy to get over my feelings for Zelda, I was dead wrong.

Getting over her was becoming easier, but every time I hung out with Penny I found myself having a more difficult time, and I didn't want to think about why I was so confused. The feeling in my gut was hard to interpret, and even more so after Penny's fist landed square on my mouth.

The action had shocked me, but as she stormed out of the temple, I could feel my heart racing as I swiped the blood away, almost excited that she had fought back in a way that no other person ever had. Sure, I had gotten in physical scraps with the guys while training, but nothing like the way Penny hit me. She was angrier than I had seen any female be before, and after grasping that I was the one that had caused it, I felt guilty.

When we landed in Skyloft she had stormed off again, and I was worried; by now, she would have asked if we could just make up and let it blow over. This time, I knew the nerve I had struck would take time to mend. It was early in the morning and the plaza was empty, something I was a little grateful, not wanting to deal with explaining why my face was the way it was. Though, when I finally made it back to my room at the academy, I let a disgruntled sigh go as I saw Cawlin passed out in my bed, and hesitated before I nudged at him. He startled awake almost instantly and quickly rambled at me.

"I didn't know you'd be back so soon!" he paused to glance at me and judging by the surprised look, I wondered just how bad my injuries really were. "What in Hylia's name did you do?" he asked, springing up to stand up on the bed so he was at my height. I batted his hands away as he reached towards my face before moving towards the mirror, letting my lips fall into a frown at the sight of the cut on my lower lip.

"I didn't do _anything_," I couldn't help but laugh at the way I was feeling, grabbing a small cloth to wipe away the excess blood before touching a finger to the cut. Cawlin jumped down to stand next to me.

"Are you telling me that girl did this?" he asked, holding a small grin on his lips. I glared momentarily before breathing out again, still assessing the damage.

"You mean Penny," I corrected. Cawlin's eyebrow reached new heights as he observed me a little closer.

"_Penny_ punched you?" he clarified and I snapped my head at him as he dared to mock me. "Groose you sure have gotten soft," he mumbled, only pausing when he saw my expression.

"What do you mean?" I asked, leaning closer to him, already feeling my defenses rising. "How am I _soft_?" I questioned. Cawlin gulped before gazing at the ceiling.

"Well I mean ever since you got back from the surface you've been hanging out with Penny and…" he lowered his gaze to mine again. "Well you just seem different," he acknowledged my injury. "Well, aside from the battle wound," he commented. I raised an eyebrow.

"This?" I asked, pointing at my mouth. Cawlin chuckled a bit.

"You still manage to get yourself into trouble," he moved to sit back on my bed and I stayed where I was in front of my mirror, now moving focus on fixing my hair. "What did you do this time?" he pushed. I hesitated, but let out a regretful sigh.

"I compared her to Zelda," I let my eyebrows furrow together. "But that isn't _bad_ is it?" I was being naïve, and I could tell by the expression Cawlin held.

"Man, I don't have a girlfriend and even _I_ know that's messed up," he stated rather flatly. I let my expression drop again.

"She's not-"

"Sure," he interrupted. "That's why you even compared her to Zelda," he paused and I felt my gut start to twist again. "A dude doesn't compare a girl to another girl unless he deep down likes her," he looked at me with stern eyes. "Zelda dumped you, and you think you can just replace her but you can't,"

My heart sank as for the first time I realized Cawlin was right. Holding myself together, I decided I wouldn't let him think that for a second.

"I'm telling you-"

"Well I'm telling _you_," Cawlin paused, but as I looked back to him as he walked towards my door, I wondered what he was thinking. "She doesn't deserve you,"

Feeling a friend's words sting so much worried me, knowing it would have been safer for me to just admit what I was feeling. While I had not fully understood them myself, I was amazed to see how much intuition Cawlin had to offer. Maybe it was because he too had pretty much been dumped when Karane decided to date Pipit, or maybe he was truly trying to be a good friend. Regardless, I waited until my thoughts were under control before I even tried to find where he was, so I could at least try to apologize.

My feet led me to the bazar, and with the empty building, I knew it was still too early. It wasn't until I noticed Cawlin at the item check that I caught on to why he was here and not outside.

"I'm sorry that it came to actually hitting him," I narrowed my eyes as he spoke to Penny, my only resolve that Penny didn't seem too fazed by him standing there. She reached up to touch her shoulder though and offered a small smile.

"I threw out my shoulder doing it," she spoke. Cawlin laughed shortly.

"I can help with that," With his little joke I couldn't stop myself from stepping in, and instantly the mood changed as he peered up at me. "Uh, excuse me," his face wasn't as fearful as I thought it should be and as he left I realized he had trapped me. Glancing back I saw Penny still reeling from Cawlin's question before she looked up at me, her expression falling drastically.

"Hey," I urged, already feeling dejected. Penny turned around in her stool, and as her back faced me I felt desperate. Reaching out, I let my hands cup her shoulders, gulping as she tensed. I worked my fingers against the spot she had acknowledged to Cawlin before finding her head turning to gaze at my hand.

"You can't just do this Groose," she whispered before turning more, not saying a word about the hand that still lingered on her shoulder. "I'm really upset with you," she commented, still avoiding my gaze. I frowned again, knowing she had every reason to be. After a few moments, she finally glanced up at me, but all I found was a glare.

Then it hit me. Maybe the reason why Penny was so angry was because I hadn't shown any remorse. Even when I had hurt her feelings in the past I had done so, and now, while I was worried about the girl that had been so patient with me in the past, I knew that would all disappear if I didn't get my act together. I had become her friend, but at this point, I wondered why she had even begun to like me. Sighing, I let go of her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I insisted, frowning as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I… I should've never said what I did,"

Penny finally glanced up at me, and with the glaze over her eyes I knew I was almost in the clear. In my gut, however, I knew that still wasn't good enough. I wasn't trying to win her over; I was trying to truly apologize. Her arms peeled away from her chest a bit and I took the opportunity to scramble around the counter, watching as she froze again.

"You still have a lot to learn," she expressed, before standing up, her eyes floating to my lips, her own curling up a bit. "I'm sorry," she softly chuckled and I shook my head before pointing to my face.

"Don't apologize, it's actually quite impressive," I urged.

Penny nodded, but kept her gaze down. After a moment of hesitation, I reached out again, feeling my own body stiffen a bit as I embraced her, knowing it was my last ditch effort towards pushing this whole event away. I knew it was going to take a while before things were fully mended, and yet, I felt my heart racing, wondering just what we were to begin with. As we parted, she reached up and I let my lips part a bit as she gingerly touched the cut before bringing her mouth to the side. She slowly moved past me as if she was trying to get away before she turned back, and I held my breath as she leaned up, using my arms for balance before she placed a small kiss on the corner of my lips.

Before I could grasp the situation, she had turned again, rushing out of the bazar with the excuse of needing to find Peatrice. I stood there, gulping as my hand snapped to my mouth again. The churning in my stomach returned and I knew now that it wasn't just coincidence that it happened every time I shared moments like this with Penny. I stumbled a bit and found myself in the chair she had just left, my hand to my face as it hit me like a ton of bricks. I had kissed her that night in the pond because I _liked_ her. I liked Penny. In a way that I thought I had liked Zelda, but seemingly with more feeling. As I thought, Penny's action made me freeze dead. If she had just kissed me, did that mean she shared the same feelings?

Only time could tell.


	14. Wallflower

**A/N: Yay for 14 chapters. Enjoy~~~**

* * *

><p>I had made Peatrice take over at the item check, terrified of facing Groose again after what I had done. After telling myself I wouldn't cave, I did, and yet, I almost knew that he was really resentful. His expression after I kissed him made it clear he was already confused, and now, I was worried that I had made the situation worse. Now, I was conflicted as to what to do; confront my feelings head on and just deal with rejection now, or just sit back, like I usually did, and let the awkward friendship continue. If every visit to the surface was going to conjure up memories of the past, how was I ever going to be able to get towards a better future?<p>

There was nothing but commotion inside my mind and heart, and I was starting to think the noise I was hearing was just me going crazy until the front door burst open, Peatrice's beaming face making me more nervous than ever. Before I could brace myself she had her arms around me, bouncing up and down as she squealed.

"Party, party, _party_!" she yelped and I widened my eyes, wedging my arms between the two of us.

"_What_?" I asked before watching as her hands met her cheeks.

"Link and Zelda are returning and they are graduating some knights or something but Link is one of them so there's going to be a party," I blinked as my sister rambled, a little astounded at how I was able to understand anything she said. "_I'm_ going to be Fledge's date,"

After learning of the main reason why she was so energized, she leapt away from me, violently ripping out the drawers of the dresser we shared, throwing dresses towards her bed. I looked at her a little bewildered, still unsure of what was happening.

"When is this thing?" I asked. Peatrice paused only for a moment before shrugging.

"Fledgey said that around sunset the graduating knights would be sworn in at the academy and then the Lumpy Pumpkin is throwing a party in their honor," I smiled as she spoke her most coherent sentence of the day. The knock at the door distracted me enough to tear away from Peatrice's return into frantic dress up, mumbling to herself about what color she looked best in. My smile faltered only a moment as my heart fluttered with being faced by a familiar blue tunic as I opened the door.

"Hear the good news?" Groose started and I wondered if he was going to be as energized as my sister. Glancing back, I decided to place myself outside, closing the door as Groose continued to beam.

"I think?" I offered before shrugging. Groose's wide smile told me I must have missed a detail.

"_I'm_ graduating into knighthood!" he exclaimed and after seeing his arms fall open a bit, I felt my heart leap as I offered him a hug, his grip tighter than usual. Then again, I was still getting used to the hugs Groose gave. I let a breathless smile leave me as he let me go, leaving my hands on his shoulders for a moment.

"That's great," I encouraged, watching as he glanced away, obviously not used to the hugging either. His hand met his neck and I smiled, knowing it was the only sign I had of his nervousness.

"Headmaster Gaepora thought my efforts on the surface deserved recognition but I didn't realize it meant I'd become a knight," he explained. I nodded, unable to contain the grin that overcame me.

"You'll be a great knight, Groose," I added, the smile on his lips growing as his ears turned a shade of red. I held my breath, not realizing that my comment would have that effect.

"Speaking of, there is a celebration at the Lumpy Pumpkin after we are knighted, so to speak," he lifted his arms back across his chest and after he glanced down then at me I wondered if this too was a nervous tick. "Are you going?" he asked. I let an eyebrow raise before I smiled softly, peering at him curiously.

"Are you asking?" I teased, giggling a bit as he pursed his lips, turning his head for a moment.

"Hey now, don't get the wrong idea," I continued to smile at his failure to protect his tough persona. "I mean there is one girl at the academy and she has a boyfriend," I nodded as he alluded to Karane and Pipit. "What am I supposed to do, ask Strich?"

We both shared a laugh before I lifted my shoulders up, tilting my head back to my door.

"Well Fledge asked my sister, so I _know _it's not exclusive to students," I watched as he scrunched up his face.

"For Goddess sake, Penny you are difficult," he mumbled before finally looking at me with soft eyes. "Will you just see what I'm trying to say?" he asked, it sounding more like a plead for acceptance. I couldn't help but drag it out, calling it revenge in my mind for the fight that had occurred the previous day.

"Why can't you just _tell_ me?" I questioned back, leaning towards him a bit. Groose pouted for a moment and I almost cracked, noting how pathetic he looked with the damaged lip, courtesy of me. After a moment, I relaxed, wondering if I too took jokes too far sometimes.

"Will you go with me to the party?" he finally stated, making my eyes snap up from the ground to his worried expression, making me wonder if he really was just as afraid of rejection as I was. I let a small smile slide across my lips before nodding, Groose failing in holding back his own smile. "I'll be back with Fledge then around sunset," he explained before nodding, taking a few steps backwards before making his exit.

Letting a sigh go, I leaned against my door, trying to figure out if what happened _really_ had happened. After a moment I finally walked back into the house, only to find Peatrice clambering to move from the kitchen window to the back dresser. I widened my eyes as I realized she had seen and probably heard everything as well. She forced a smile and I rushed at her before she lifted up a dress, making me pause.

"What's that?" I asked, letting the fabric fall through my fingers. Peatrice smiled, fully handing it over to me.

"It's mom's old dress, remember?" she whispered, before urging me to hold it up to my chest. Seeing it made me a little solemn, knowing that while my sister and I were young when she passed, we still had fond memories and items of her. "Wear it tonight," she encouraged and I felt my breath lodge in my throat, shaking my head as I pushed it back at her.

"No way," I fought, only to have Peatrice place it back in my hands.

Knowing I would never win the fight, I sighed, taking the cloth and placing in on the bed. I stared at it for the longest time, wondering just what Peatrice was trying to get me into. After glancing back at the soft salmon colored dress she was pulling over herself, I figured getting ready now wouldn't hurt. The fabric was just as any other cloth in my closet, and yet, when the folds of green hit my knees, I was overwhelmed. It not only reminded me of my mother, but the place I know held close to my heart; Faron Woods. It wasn't that I looked like a tree, especially with my brown hair, but more like I could blend in. Laughing at my thoughts, I tugged at the sleeves, relieved they weren't too long for the warm weather outside. Gulping as I looked in the mirror, I noticed that even though the front had a small cut out design, I wondered if it was too revealing.

"You look like mom," Peatrice came up behind me with a smile, and after her kind words I knew there would be no problem. I copied her grin before kicking off my boots, watching as she sat down in front of the vanity we shared. "Can you braid my hair like yours?" she asked.

I let out a soft sigh before complying, pulling out her usual pigtails and bandana before going to work, watching my sister glance at the ceiling, obviously stuck in another one of her day dreams. When I finished, she squealed in delight, but her excitement was cut short as a knock at the door parted us once more, us both looking to see the light outside fading. She leapt ahead of me to open the door and I held back a laugh as Fledge and her embraced, twirling slightly. I stepped near them for a moment before realizing Groose wasn't with him. I let my eyebrows crease together before Fledge offered a sheepish smile, handing Peatrice some more flowers before looking to me.

"Groose is still with the headmaster," he explained before beaming as Peatrice placed the flowers in a nearby vase I had prepared in case of this situation. "Is it ok if we go ahead of you?" he asked.

I nodded and saw them out, sighing to myself as I ventured back to the vanity, plopping down before feeling at my own braid. I didn't realize I had undone it until I found myself faced by light waves, wondering if Peatrice was sporting a different style I would be safe with mine. With a satisfied smile, I stood up right as the door creaked open a bit, my heart leaping as I forgot to close it all the way. Groose pocked his head in and I slowed a bit, watching as he came into full view, changed into a more formal tunic, but smiling as his characteristic hair stayed straight up.

"Woah now," he mumbled as I finally stopped in front of him. I blinked, unsure of what to say before he too presented just a single flower, my lips twitching in confusion. He lifted his shoulder up a bit. "Fledge over does it," he commented. "How is anybody supposed to know you got flowers if you have no proof?" he questioned.

I knew he didn't need an answer, but as the flower met my hand, I curled the short stem a bit before placing it behind my ear, offering a grin as his expression softened. There were no words exchanged, and yet I could tell what we both must have been feeling. After a moment, we both moved towards the door, grateful for the cool night that was about to greet us. We stayed quiet for the rest of the trip to the Lumpy Pumpkin, but I wasn't bothered. I was comfortable, and it was a strange feeling, knowing what kind of feelings I had just come from having for him a day ago.

Still, I gulped as we landed at the Lumpy Pumpkin, blushing a bit as he walked ahead of me to open the door, my eyes widening at the crowd that was already gathered inside the building. I was glad that little had noticed me and Groose's arrival, still unsure of how to explain what we were. I glanced over at Kina who was singing with the Pumpkin's regulars playing instruments, the music lively as couples danced on the unofficial dance floor.

"You said yes?" I snapped my head to see Strich laughing at Groose and I and I creased my eyebrows together.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. He shook his head, and after noticing his friends were well into a congratulatory conversation, I peeled away, making note of a familiar presence near the edge of the room. As I approached Zelda, she stood up to hug me, and I admired her white dress, similar to the one I had seen her in on the surface.

"Link is now an official knight," she explained and I nodded, watching as her expression lit up even more. "Even though we won't be living in Skyloft anymore," she paused before looking to me.

"But now Groose and I can visit you more often," I sheepishly smiled as she raised an eyebrow at me, knowing what I had just said implicated something that I was unsure of. She was about to respond when she looked over my shoulder. I turned to find both Link and Groose joking with each other, a sight that was comforting, but still strange to see. As they finally met us, Link smiled at Zelda before offering his hand to her.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, elevating his voice as if to sound more eloquent. I smiled at her blush before she nodded, placing her hand in his before they whisked away. I gulped as Cawlin sat down near us and glanced nervously up at Groose.

"_So_," I started, trying to imply the array of dancing couples. Groose glanced back before raising his eyebrow. I flattened my expression before wondering if maybe he really was as thick as he looked. "Are you going to ask me to dance?" I pushed and found Groose pulling the same embarrassed look from when he asked me to this shindig.

"Yeah man, you can't fall through now," I lifted an eyebrow as Cawlin cut in, Groose creasing his eyebrows together.

"Stay out of this dude, I just don't want to dance," he tried to pass. I frowned a bit before Cawlin lifted out his hand.

"Well then, may _I_ have this dance?" he asked and after a small wink I realized what he was pulling. Groose stared wide eyed at me and after a small roll of my eyes I took the short boy's hand, shrugging at Groose as he stammered.

"Next time, ask me," I joked before laughing as Cawlin cupped my hands as we blended into the crowd, watching as Groose crossed his arms over his chest before sitting down in one of the chairs.

The night surprisingly continued on like this, and while I would break away to give Groose an opportunity, he kept himself busy, talking to other guests as he tried to prove his point. As Cawlin and I explained what we were doing to the other academy students, I slowly started to dance with not just him but Strich as well, and after Kina and her band started an upbeat gig, I found Pipit eager to prove my point back at Groose by whisking me by him. But as the night dragged to a close and I peered away from dancing with Link I found a deep frown on Groose's lips as he sat near the bar. Feeling guilty now, I broke away, knowing that the last song was soon and guests not associated with the academy were starting to leave.

Groose lifted his head momentarily before looking away, his jaw askew as he grunted. I leaned down a bit before extending my palm, lifting my eyebrows up a bit.

"I can ask, right?" I offered before reaching for his hand resting on his knee. His eyes finally met mine and I pushed forward a smirk. "Truce?" I asked and after a moment, Groose nodded, standing up and moving with me as Kina started up another festive dance, the entire crowd moving.

I couldn't help but copy the laugh that protruded from Groose and after watching him interacting with the crowd, wondered why at some times he was so insecure. The final dance was exhausting, but as the students of the academy laughed as goodbyes were shared, I found myself outside, holding my sisters hands as she rambled about how her and Fledge were making a pit stop at the flower island he loved so much. After stopping her in her tracks, not wanting to know any more details, I watched as she flew off and drew my attention back to the rest of the couples darting off on shared Loftwing rides, wondering if I was slowly becoming part of that group.

Gazing across the group, I raised an eyebrow, wondering just where Groose had wandered off to. I got my answer as a hand wrapped around my wrist and I was tugged back, my body tensing before I realized it was Groose pulling me around the building and back towards the patch.

"Huh?" I prompted, watching as he stopped us where we could see the crowd flying back, but have them not see us. He sighed.

"I didn't want to deal with congratulation talks with half the town," he paused to glance down at me. "It can wait,"

I felt my words lodge in my throat and as I realized his hand was still wrapped around my wrist, I chewed on my lip. Hearing him sigh, I peered out of the corner of my eye to see him gazing up at the sky.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Groose's head tilted down and I felt my eyes widen at the soft gaze he held.

"Do you like me?" he suddenly asked and after letting my eyes widen even more, I froze, only blinking at him. His small chuckle didn't help but I breathed out as he glanced down at our hands. "Um," he tilted his head to the side and I gulped, knowing what he was getting at.

"You asked if we could be friends," I whispered, feeling the fluttering in my heart slow down as his hand moved to envelop mine. He nodded but gazed at me through his brow.

"I don't know if the whole 'just friends' thing is going to work,"

With his words, I felt almost all feeling in my body go; wondering if this is what I had been waiting for. It was hardly an admission of feelings, but at the same time, I could hear him loud and clear. Still, my eyes wavered from his, even more nervous as he stepped closer. It wasn't until I couldn't avoid the pressing in my mind that I gazed back at him, breathing out as he closed the gap, my eyes closing as he kissed me.

We stayed like that, lips locked with our hands intertwined until he pulled away, letting a small sigh go as he gazed at me. I let my breath hitch at the golden stare before smiling, relishing in the joy that replaced the nerves in my body. Not knowing what else to do, I leaned forward, resting my head on his chest before closing my eyes as his arms wrapped around my shoulders and back, my own arms wrapping around his back as he rested his head on mine.

This is what I had been waiting for.


	15. Slowing Down

A lot had been running through my mind since the events of the academy celebration, and while I was elated to find myself closer to Groose than before, it was the unspoken words that had me wondering if anything had truly changed. This was the second time Groose had kissed me, and while it was more expected this time, it was still unexplained. All it did was make my heart race faster when he was around, in anticipation that I would be able to cherish that feeling again and again.

It wasn't surprising that Peatrice was down my throat trying to pry information out of me, and it was for good reason; I had returned home from the party a little dazed, and probably holding a dumb smile that was usually found on her lips instead of mine. She had shaken me until I made it clear I wouldn't be spilling any details, and ever since that night, she followed me around trying to catch a glimpse of Groose and me together.

That being said, I decided to avoid her in the best way I knew how, taking back a job at the academy kitchen, knowing Henya wouldn't allow someone as intrusive as her in. Turns out, Peatrice knew when Henya would be gone, and pestered me still, making me wonder how she had tricked dad into watching the store while she harassed me.

"What are you doing _today_?" Peatrice's choice of words to start her day's intrusion wasn't specific, but instantly, I glared, knowing any moment she would chance subjects. "Going out on a date with a specific person who attends this academy?" I sighed, turning around towards the stove, even though I had nothing to distract myself.

"Maybe,"

My ears twitched as a new voice entered the room, but it didn't take long to realize it was Groose, my mind freezing, knowing the situation was now far worse. Slowly I turned to see Groose staring at Peatrice, her lips taught as she, amazingly, was at a loss for words. I gulped as she huffed, crossing her arms as she walked out of the room. I offered Groose a smile as he leaned against the support beam leading into the kitchen.

"So what _are_ you doing today?" he asked. I was nervous to answer, wondering what he had planned. Instead, I shrugged, watching as his grin grew a bit. "If it stays calm we can go visit Link and Zelda again," he suggested.

The thought was a little unnerving at first, my mind instantly thinking back to the last time we were on the surface. His smile faltered, and I wondered if he too was reminded. Still, I nodded before folding my hands together in front of me.

"I think I'll make some pumpkin cookies to take down," I offered. Groose laughed before nodding in agreement.

"My favorite," he mentioned. My heart leapt at the information, delighted to learn something knew about him. He reached out then without moving, but as I let his hand curl around my own, a small commotion started in the outside hallway, the familiar color of Pipit's uniform making its way into the room. He eyed us for a moment before looking to Groose. "What?" he asked.

"A few monsters from the thunderhead have broken through the clouds," he spoke, pointing behind him. "The whole fleet is going, even undergrads," he explained, stepping back. "You better report as soon as possible if you want to be taken seriously," Pipit ran off after his choice of words and I could tell it started Groose up, his hand tightening around my own. I tugged on it then, watching as his expression softened when he looked back to me.

"Good luck…" I trailed, unsure of what else to say.

His hand slowly slipped out of my own and he turned, rushing out after the crowd, my body following him to the doorway. It was in this situation that I wished I was able to join him, a little bitter that in this battle, I was stuck where I was. My eyes drifted to see that Peatrice was still outside the kitchen, her line of vision shooting right back in my direction. I was anxious at first, but her soft expression made me relax, her following me back into the cafeteria where I sat on one of the benches.

"Hey so…" Peatrice started, her finger twirling in her hair nervously. I gazed at her as she sat on the bench across from me. "I'll be nice if you just _tell_ me what's going on," she offered. I skewed my lips to the side, still unsure if I could trust her, but the look in her eyes told me that maybe this time, it was ok.

"Um," I sheepishly smiled at my horrible start, Peatrice raising an eyebrow. "I like Groose and I think he likes me," it ended up being more of a question than anything, my sister's wide eyes making me purse my lips again. She leaned towards me a bit.

"What happened after we left the Lumpy Pumpkin?" she asked, her grin still a little too creepy for me. I glanced away, knowing what she was referring to. Sighing, I realized she was my sister, and while she'd go in a frenzy about it, she wouldn't dare tell anybody except her dairy about it. After looking back to her I let my smile tell half the story.

"We kissed," I started, rolling my eyes as she squealed in delight. Knowing how she responded to this I knew it was unsafe to ever mention our _first_ kiss. "But we aren't like you and Fledge," I spoke, making her smile falter.

"What do you mean?" she asked before flinching as she realized what I was hinting at. "You mean he hasn't made you his girl?" she frowned, her shoulders slumping. I chuckled a bit before shrugging.

"No," I started before tilting my head in thought, glancing away. "But it's not _that_ bad," I argued, already knowing what my sister was going to say. Her hands dug into the bench as she leaned forward some more.

"Are you _kidding_?" she scuffed before pursing her lips momentarily. "You better make sure he does something about it A.S.A.P.," she seethed. I turned my head, irritated a bit. Peatrice sighed before standing up, her arms crossing again. "When you want relationship advice, you can find me at the bazar," she mused before stomping off.

I let a large sigh go as I tried to think about what she had said. Truly, I wasn't that bothered by Groose's lack of admission of his feelings, whatever they may be, but my heart told me that a boy wouldn't kiss a girl, especially the way he did if there wasn't something there. It was what had kept me going after he kissed me in the pond, my mind set on figuring out how he felt about me before I gave up. Now, I had some sort of explanation, him stating that he couldn't be _just friends_. However, he didn't state what he _could_ be, and that's what my next goal was.

I hadn't been sitting on the bench long when the commotion returned, my heart sinking as I saw few knights rushing in.

"We can use the cafeteria as a first aid station!"

I stood up sharply, watching as a few knights carried in an obviously injured other, him hissing as his foot hit the table, obviously hurt. When I turned, I felt even more worried, Karane holding a towel to her arm, it soaking up blood. I stepped towards her, my arms outstretched.

"Are you ok?" I asked, watching her wince before nodding.

"I'm fine compared to some of the others," she hissed and I copied as she lifted the towel, showing off the gash that was on top of her arm. "Damn monster scraped his teeth on me," she clenched her teeth before gazing at me. "I don't suppose you could bandage me up before Pipit sees this?"

I chuckled with her as I brought her over to a stool away from the rush of knights scrambling in, my mind only drifting for a moment.

"What happened?" I asked while grabbing for the first aid Henya kept under the sink. Karane gulped and I raised an eyebrow at her for a moment.

"We just got ambushed," she paused. "We'll have to regroup and go back with a better plan," she explained, my hands pausing in cleaning the wound.

I was hoping for more details when her breath hitched, my eyes drifting to see not just Pipit walking in, but Groose with him, my heart sinking again as it was obvious he was also hurt. My hands froze as they sat him at a table. Hesitating, I looked back to Karane only to find her already looking at me as if I was the one who was injured.

"Oh wow," she mumbled, and I looked at her, her lips twitching in a tiny smile. "You really care about ol' Groosey, huh?" she asked.

Suddenly my nerves came back as I felt my eyes glaze over. Karane sighed and her other hand fell over mine that were still trying to bandage her arm. She didn't need to say anything, but as footsteps neared, I saw Pipit holding a worried expression, one that probably made me look stone cold.

"_Karane_!" he yelped before taking the bandage from my hand, his fingers working to wrap it around her forearm. "Oh I didn't know you got hurt," he mumbled, obviously nervous.

Karane smiled at him and I sighed, stepping backwards before turning, my stomach churning as I saw Groose fighting getting any medical attention from both his friends and the knights that were trained in medicine. Taking a small step forward, my eyebrows jumped as he locked eyes with me, his cocky grin wavering as I got closer. Cawlin paused in tugging at his shirt and I raised an eyebrow, opting to stand in front of them.

"What happened?" I gulped as my voice came out barely above a whisper. Groose frowned before sighing, his hand moving to cup his left shoulder a bit, an audible hiss seeping out.

"I pulled something bad," he mumbled before both our eyes met the gash similar to Karane's on his upper arm. I stepped forward a bit but found Strich batting my hand away.

"I'll take care of it," he muttered, grabbing some towels from the table. Snapping back to the moment, I skewed my lips to the side.

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked, finding Groose's gaze the only one meeting my own. He offered a smile before patting the spot next to him, my knees shaking a bit before I complied. I glanced over out of the corner of my eye to find Cawlin and Strich already holding the same suspicious look, and I wondered what had made them become so hostile towards me. Groose's free arm moved into his lap before he groaned again, a medical knight probing his shoulder.

"Looks like you over sprained the joint," he explained, before searching through a larger medical bag and pulling out a bundle of cloth. "You'll have to wear a sling and be out of commission for at least a week," he continued.

All our faces fell, but Groose managed to stay somewhat positive, his free hand waving a bit.

"This is _nothing_ compared to the injuries I sustained on the surface," I knew he was overcompensating again, but as his gaze met mine, I made sure he realized I wasn't too fond of his lie. His lips fell back into a frown as Strich helped him place his arm in the sling, my eyes snapping to where Cawlin had finished bandaging the wound he had on his arm. Groose gulped before breaking his gaze with mine, glancing back at his friends. "I think I'll go back to my room now," he mentioned, his hand moving to grip mine for a moment.

I took it as a hint to stand up, a little eager to help him. However, his henchmen jumped right up, almost bouncing me out of the way as they moved Groose a bit with his head snapping back as he looked at me desperately. Feeling a little protective, I walked after them, watching as they opened his door but Strich turning to bar me from entering.

"Hey," I argued, glaring at him. Strich crossed his arms.

"Groose doesn't need a woman's help," he mocked and I copied his stance, shaking my head at his comment. "We're his friends so _we'll_ help him," he continued.

For a moment, I thought about turning and retreating, but knew that it would only prove his point. I poised to say something back, but found I wouldn't need to when Karane appeared in my peripherals, her expression almost as frustrated as my own.

"Don't think for a second you guys can relax, we're going back for round two!" she exclaimed, tugging at Strich before leaning between us as Cawlin audibly yelped. "You too!" she shouted before turning, my lips curling up in a smile as they wordlessly followed, still holding glares for me.

I swallowed hard before turning a bit, glancing into Groose's room to find him sitting on the edge on his bed, his eyes softening as he waved me over. I paused, a little hesitant to be alone with him but urged myself, knowing I really had no reason to be afraid anymore. Closing the door behind me, I stepped back in front of him, watching as he gripped one of my hands in his only usable one.

"You get to take care of me again," he joked before glancing up at me, tugging on my arm a bit. "Sit," he urged and I did, readjusting myself so I was facing him some more. He followed suit and I looked to his two injuries, my smile faltering as the worry returned. His grip tightened and I locked eyes with him again as he gulped. "I guess I'm not cut out to be a knight," he mumbled. Shaking my head, I moved my hand from his to his uninjured shoulder, tilting my head to the side.

"You are a great knight, I'm sure," I paused, chuckling at him as he became a little cheeky. "You just overdo it sometimes," I explained, earning a solid nod from the red-head. I sighed then, watching as he moved to lean against the wall next to his bed.

"Come here," he motioned in front of him.

I let my lower lip get sucked into my mouth, realizing that even though I _thought_ I had no reason to be nervous, I still was going to be when he did things like this. Slowly I scooted towards him and after he reached out, I couldn't help but tremble as his hand met my waist. Suddenly I wondered what his state of mind was. He stayed silent before pushing at me a bit and I understood, turning so my back leaned against his chest, his slung arm moving so it rested near my side. The hand at my side slid across my waist and I couldn't help but feel my heart rate increase before letting my body finally relax, my arms moving to lay over his.

We stayed like that, my mind getting used to the peaceful silence that we had established. It was something that I cherished, that we could just sit like this, not needing to worry about something to say. It definitely calmed me and while I was still anxious to hear what his feelings were for me, this was safe. The soft wind hitting the back wall made it clear that night was arriving, and after Groose adjusted a bit, I turned my head back to see him holding an anxious look.

"What?" I skewed my lips to the side as his eyes lowered for a moment before a sly smile appeared on his lips.

"I could use a bath," he mentioned and I followed his eyes, noticing the dirt and grime that stained his clothes. I nodded, shifting a bit away from him. It was then that I noticed the sly grin was still there and I pursed my lips, suspicious. He chuckled before glancing at his immobile arm. "With Cawlin and Strich gone I wonder who will have to help me," he joked before looking at me again, this time expectantly. I scooted away from him even more now, sitting on the edge of the bed as I crossed my arms.

"Dream on," I mumbled before turning my head. Groose laughed before he moved a bit closer to me, his free arm attempting to grab at me. I stood up before he could and found him raising an eyebrow.

"It wouldn't be anything you haven't seen already," he mentioned and I widened my eyes as I turned again, already feeling my face burning. "Hey, I'll wear pants," he tried again and I stayed turned, conflicted by what my mind was telling me. In the deepest of thoughts I wanted to for shallow reasons, wanting to take another peek at his chest and yet, in the moment even my heart was telling me this was too much. "Penny?" I blinked as he called for me and I flinched but moved back to him, sighing before nodding, offering my hand to him. As I helped him scoot off the bed and he stood up in front of me I gripped his hand tighter.

"If you try anything…" I attempted to warn, feeling my face flush at the mere thought.

Again, I felt flustered as I thought against what I had just said, wondering why I all of a sudden hoped for something different. Groose pushed forward his best innocent grin and I moved again towards his door, finding the hallway eerily empty for the large commotion that had taken place earlier. Relieved, my heart still beat faster as we walked up the stairs towards the bath, Groose acting too comfortable with the situation when we entered. I locked the door behind me, fearing anybody finding us even though I was convinced it would stay innocent. Scoffing at my own thought I wondered how that would happen when he would be half naked with me just standing there, supervising.

"Help," he mumbled and I turned from the door to see him sitting on the stool next to the bath, his free hand tugging at his shirt. I closed my eyes tight for a moment before walking over, clenching my jaw before letting my hands undo the sling first. Groose grunted and I winced with him, feeling guilty for hurting him, even if it wasn't on purpose. "Ok," I narrowed my eyes at him momentarily, the moment not being helped by his small words.

As I moved to grip his shirt my mind froze, convinced this should be reserved for couples and even then for _married_ couples. Sighing, I realized we had already broken several moral codes, and tugged a bit, thankful he still helped with his free hand. Groose's expression softened as he gazed at me and I avoided his eyes, not really wanting to make the moment more awkward than I already felt it was.

"Ok," I had just made the point of not wanting any words and yet, I spoke, stepping back a bit so he could stand up, his good arm supporting his bad. I blinked hard and glanced away, cursing my mind for being distracted by his chest. It was too harsh of a reminder of the night spent on the surface, making me beyond nervous. Groose took care of discarding his boots before tugging at his pants and I widened my eyes, slapping my hands to my face as I turned.

"I thought you said-"

"I said _pants_, but not what kind," he retorted, my heart only calming a bit as I heard him splash the water a bit, by eyes only peeking when I heard him let out a contented sigh. He was trying to offer a sheepish smile but I still glared, watching as he grabbed a towel from the pile to tuck over his lap, trying to conceal himself more so, even though he still wore his underwear. "Join-"

"I'm _not_ joining," I interrupted this time, moving to sit on the stool, my body still turned away from him. Groose chuckled a bit before turning as well, my eyes drifting as he motioned to his back.

"Then at least wash my back," he offered. Knowing he wouldn't be able to reach, I complied, reaching down to remove my boots and roll up my pants. Reluctantly I stepped into the water behind him, sitting on the edge of the bath so I could be at a better angle. I too grabbed a towel and wrung it over his back, holding in a bath as I complied with his request. "When will you stop being nervous about seeing me like this?" he suddenly asked, making me pause for a moment. I shook my head to myself.

"When will you stop asking me to do things like this?" I retorted, finding a small chuckle on his lips. He leaned his head back and I rolled my eyes at his dumb expression.

"Do you like me?" it sounded like he was teasing and I felt my expression falter for a moment, not knowing how to respond. Not wanting to ruin the 'fun' I wrung the towel over his head, laughing to myself as he pushed at his now damp hair before widening my gaze as his eyes narrowed at me. "I'll find out the hard way," he mumbled and before I could protest, he yanked my hand, my body slipping right into the water, legs falling over his as he brought me to his chest.

My shriek was stopped by his lips and after my mind registered what was happening, I closed my eyes, my hands moving to brace myself against his chest. While I was relishing in sharing another kiss with him, I suddenly became well aware of what _this_ situation called for. My clothes were soaked up to my waist line, but the more Groose tugged at me, I could feel more and more of my blouse absorbing water. It clicked in my mind again the severity of the moment as he dared to move the kiss forward, brushing his tongue against my lips. I complied at first, but broke away for a breath, finding myself gasping as he chose to kiss elsewhere, his mouth moving to first my cheek and then my neck.

My hands moved to his head and in a brief thought, I wondered how far he was willing to go. Gulping, I knew that my original thought had been correct; this was just not the way things were meant to be, not yet. I pushed at him for a moment, and after finding a bit of resistance, I sighed, blinking hard.

"Groose," I called, finally peeking at him as he looked at me with wide eyes, my lips trembling as I shied away, nervous he would take advantage of the moment. While I knew he wouldn't, I still was on edge. His gaze softened and he frowned. I breathed out as I stood, watching as water spilled from my clothes, reaching down to wring out my pants before working on my shirt. I had managed to find a large towel, and yet, could still feel his eyes on me.

"Penny?" he beckoned and I saw his hand reaching out for mine. I lowered my eyes as I held the towel to my body before placing my hand in his, but tightening my grip as my heart raced.

"I do like you," I breathed as I finally let it out in the open. "I just don't want to get ahead of ourselves when you can't say it back," I broke off as his golden stare lowered and after a long pause, I knew I wouldn't get my explanation tonight either.

After a few more moments, I let my hand slip out of his and while my heart wanted to stay, at least to make sure he was ok, my mind built up the wall it had previously knocked down for him. Groose nodded as I stepped towards the door and I smiled sadly as I got that he understood he needed to be alone.

As I managed to sneak away from the academy without forging an explanation to why I was soaked, I wondered why I had been able to stay so calm. I was conflicted, not angry and confused; wondering why I had almost wished his kisses went lower, not caring what happened. My mind had one and as I thought more about it, so had Peatrice. She was right; it wasn't right to string Groose along or allow him to kiss me in the way he did if there was no meaning behind it. Even if there was something there, it had yet to be defined, something I just couldn't allow.

I gazed up at the starry night with a large sigh, wondering when I'd truly be satisfied.


	16. Falling

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews I've been getting :3**

* * *

><p>For the nth time I found myself trying to come up with excuses for Peatrice, this time why I was avoiding Groose. After realizing that even telling the truth didn't stop her questions, I had to think quick of a way to elude them both, figuring the only way to do so was to fake an illness that allowed me to huddle under the protective sheets of my bed. Huddled there, I had time to think, and what I had been yearning for; privacy.<p>

Or so I thought.

It didn't take long for Peatrice to catch onto my act, and while she still left me alone, she threw idle threats of exposing me to Groose, who had in turn been bothering Peatrice for information. It was a harsh game of give and take, but I complied, deciding to humor her and her blackmail requests. While she worked the store with dad I cleaned the house, almost wishing I had the courage to just face my problems head on. Peatrice had promised to stay quiet as long as I completed her chores, but even then I hardly trusted her, and took my time doing anything.

My mind had drifted as I made the beds and I could feel my face burning as I thought back to the previous night spent with Groose. It wasn't our first kiss, or even our first time being in such an intimate setting, but it _was_ the first time I had been kissed with such passion. What brought back the shivers was the rush of it all, and while I had called it off, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if I let his lips trail further. Widening my eyes at my own thoughts I panicked to think of something else, almost blessing the small commotion I heard outside.

Not bothering to wait for a knock, I opened the door, almost instantly regretting it. Standing there was not just Groose but also Peatrice, pausing from whatever argument they had just been having to stare at me. For a moment I thought about bringing my shocked expression down so I looked as sick as I had been claiming to be, but as Groose's lips fell into a frown, I knew it was too late.

"Penny, are you feeling better?" I blinked as Peatrice spoke, her words almost in an effort to save me from more cover-ups.

"Um," I gulped before nodding, my hands clenching the door. "Yeah," I breathed, pushing forth a nervous smile.

I glanced at Groose to see him holding either an expression of confusion or hurt. Sighing some more, I moved a bit so they could both enter, Peatrice's presence for once a good thing. As she stood there watching Groose and I exchange an awkward stare, I knew I was safe from explaining myself for a while.

"So go ahead," Peatrice started, her arms crossed over her chest as she glanced at Groose with a small glare. I raised an eyebrow, a bit confused, but followed her gaze, watching as Groose let out a soft breath.

"Well she said you were sick," I nodded as Groose's eyes shifted from Peatrice to me. "But said I couldn't come see you," he skewed his lips to the side and I wondered if he'd risk calling me out. I knew that this point I had no right to be angry and decided that wherever the conversation went I'd just try to get out without feelings being hurt. After a few moments, Groose let out a small breath of a chuckle. "Anyways,"

"Get _on_ with it," Peatrice suddenly cut in, only freezing from continuing when I glanced her way.

"It's Cawlin's birthday," Groose finally informed, looking at both of us again. "The group of us from the academy is celebrating at the Pumpkin and…" he trailed, looking at me nervously. I'm sure if it hadn't been for Peatrice, he would have finished his sentence, but I knew he was still anxious to admit to any shared relationship between us. I offered a smile, one that encouraged him to display a similar one. He cleared his throat after realizing that Peatrice was holding a curious eye at us. "You both will come, right?" he asked. I was about to answer when Peatrice's smile grew a little larger.

"Will Fledgy be there?" she squealed, hands clasping together.

I rolled my eyes before watching as Groose nodded, sending her into a flurry of excitement. I was happy to watch her bounce around until I realized she was rushing towards the door, leaving me once again stranded with the main focus of my current problems. My smile fell and I could almost feel myself reaching out for her, knowing it was too late. When I finally turned back to Groose I almost felt bad, knowing at least half of the way he looked and felt was caused by me. While his arm stuck in a sling hardly came close to being my fault, his lip still appeared bruised from when I punched him. More so than physical appearances was the distain in his features, and I wondered just how bad his ego had been damaged in the last few days.

"Hey…" I swallowed my nerves as I approached him, titling my head up as I stood in front of him. His lips stretched flat, unsure of how to respond. I lifted my arms a bit before wiggling them around his abdomen, finding him exhaling before his one good arm fell across the back of my shoulders. "Sorry," I mumbled against the fabric of his shirt, smiling softly as his hand squeezed my shoulder.

"Me too," he mumbled. "I'm sorry," he continued. I broke an inch away to glance up at him again. "Thank you…" his voice lowered and I found myself a little confused about what he was saying.

"Huh?" I prompted. What was he thanking me? Was it something I did? My face heated up as I realized the last thing I did was in relation to being a _lot_ closer to him than the way I was now. Groose smirked before lifting his hand from my back, my face heating up even more as it approached my face. His smile softened as his hand cupped my cheek and I struggled to copy him.

"You're always so patient with me," he finally spoke and I couldn't decide whether to be more embarrassed, or happy.

Stuck between the two emotions I sheepishly smiled, tilting my head into his hand. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting from him, but judging from the way my heart was fluttering about, his words were better than his previous apology. I knew it would take a while before we would be 100% comfortable with each other and yet, I knew this was a small step in the right direction. I still felt strange about what we had experienced already as a 'couple' but also cherished the little things, like this. While there had been some turbulence in the past, the warmness inside made me eager for what could happen in the future.

* * *

><p>I was a little surprised by the way Groose had decided to treat Cawlin on his birthday. Not that I expected him to be a bad friend, it was the way he included everyone that made him seem like a <em>great<em> friend. Cawlin sat with a nervous face at the head of the table we had at the Lumpy Pumpkin, shifting his eyes from Groose to Strich as they explained the night's festivities.

It would start with a good meal and afterwards, games that would either prove to be friendly competition or flat out war. The look on Karane's face as Groose talked about a flying contest had me already anxious, knowing she could be just as competitive as the big talking man. After all, he was injured and couldn't even fly at this point, something I was reminded of when he clung to me on my own Loftwing.

"I bet I could do barrel rolls around you and your Loftwing," he let out a bellowing laugh that was copied by his friends, my lips stretching as it became infectious. "The tricks I know will blow you away,"

"Are you sure we're still talking about flying here?" Karane cracked and after the entire group burst out I couldn't help but notice the glance Groose took at me, my ears heating up at the thought. "You should save that for Penny," she continued and while I joined in the laughter with a faint giggle, I felt my body tense, not even daring to look to see what type of expression Groose was holding, even more frightened to look and see the kind Peatrice might have.

Knowing the group was getting a bit rowdy with finishing their meals, Karane dragged me towards the bar, her smile softening as she saw my still flustered expression.

"Lighten up," she urged. "It doesn't take much to know when two people are together," she explained. I nodded, trying to not give much away. We got to the bar and Pumm looked at us curiously.

"Something wrong?" he asked to which Karane waved her hand.

"Is there any chance we could get some pumpkin ale?" she requested, to which my eyes widened. While there was no real age restriction on the drink, it was still morally wrong for youth to have. Pumm's expression mirrored mine and he began shaking his head.

"You kids are too young," he started. Karane creased her eyebrows together, pouting a bit.

"But it's a birthday party!" she argued before pushing forth the most innocent face the girl could offer. "We all have someone to fly us home," she encouraged, only to be met by a flat expression. I chuckled a bit before nodding.

"She's right, I'm flying the cripple home anyways," I tried to joke, referencing Groose.

Pumm let out a large sigh before finally nodding, letting Karane squeal a bit before dragging me back to the table. Kina arrived with a platter and after Pipit realized what Karane meant by her 'treat' he frowned, making most of us shake our head at how _good-guy_ Pipit liked to show up in the worst situations. I rejected a glass just like him but found Fledge also opting out, laughing as Peatrice took a mug in her hands.

"Don't rush it," I urged only to be met by a small glare.

"Don't warn me," she argued before Pipit sighed through his nose.

"She's right, it's bad to drink ale fast," he explained before glancing at Karane to his right who was already mid-sip. "H-hey what?"

"Lighten up _babe_," she snickered before wiping her lips of any residue, the group chuckling at Pipit's blush. Groose shifted a bit next to me and I gazed at him, losing my laughter as I saw him look at Karane with his old grin.

"I bet I could drink more than _you_ Karane," he challenged and even after I snapped my head to Karane, silently begging her not to encourage his antics, she laughed, slamming her free hand to the table, making everybody pause in their drinking.

"Oh you are _so_ on, Groosey," she yelped before a low cheer crossed the table, leaving me slapping my hand to my face, wondering why I ever encouraged Pumm to serve the alcohol.

I sat there holding a small expression of disappointment as Kina placed more mugs on the table, my only source of humor Cawlin who, due to his small stature was leaning into Strich, already drunk on the ale. Groose and Karane held heavy glares at each other as they gulped the liquids down and as I observed closely, found Karane holding her liquor much better than the red-head next to me. He leaned into me a bit as there was a pause in the flow and after finding his hand on my back, I stiffened, knowing I wasn't strong enough to catch him if he fell. Karane leaned her chin in her hands as her elbows hit the table, Pipit holding a similar glance at her as I held towards Groose.

"I think you should stop," I mumbled, finding Groose's eyes narrowing as he finally looked at me.

"Woah when did your eyes get so… _blue_?" he asked and I narrowed my eyes even more, my hand clenching the table a bit.

"They've always been blue," I mumbled before looking to where Karane was blinking too slowly. "Is this a truce or what?" I asked. Groose let out a laugh before pointing at Karane who jumped a bit.

"You can win if you…" he trailed. "Truth or dare?" his train of thought worried me but then again so did his new game. Karane bought it.

"I play hard buddy," she leaned over the table some more. "_Dare_," she held her shoulders up but they slowly fell as Groose's eyes trailed towards Cawlin who was already passed out next to Strich, his jaw hanging open.

"Kiss the birthday boy," he chuckled as nearly half the table did the same, the only ones horrified Karane and Pipit. I struggled to contain my grin as Pipit's arm pushed Karane back protectively, his face falling as Karane shook her head, shifting along the table towards Cawlin. The group sucked in a collective breath before she leaned down and much to Groose's disappointment she kissed only his cheek. Letting out a large laugh she pushed a finger into Groose.

"You didn't say where," she yelped before landing back down in her spot, leaning against Pipit. "Take me home, I'm a winner," she mumbled, his expression still holding shock.

It was then that the party dwindled and after the group decided who would fly who we carried our respective partners outside, me struggling as Groose let most of his body drag.

"You're so heavy," I grunted, pushing him against the outside wall so I could catch my breath. Groose leaned towards me, his only useable arm reaching out to wrap around my waist.

"You're pretty," he slurred, a dumb smile on his lips. I sighed as he pulled me into a hug, but widened my eyes as his hand fell from my back to the top of my behind, it squeezing slightly before I pushed myself off of him, gritting my teeth as he held his hand to his lips. "Duh huh huh,"

I shook my head, turning but reaching out to grab his hand, leading him to where I whistled for my Loftwing, it quickly lowering itself to the ground in front of me. Getting Groose on the bird was more of a hassle than it previously was, finding an injured _drunk_ man was harder to manage than just a man with one useable arm. Still, I climbed on in front of him, rolling my eyes as his arm tightened around me. I took off as slowly as I could, thinking it would be safer to fly at a lower speed as to not risk losing Groose.

"Let's go…" he mumbled and I raised an eyebrow at his small words. "To an island where I can kiss you forever," he continued, making me only giggle at his sloppy phrasing.

"How romantic," I responded, only calming my laughter as his hand tightened against my side. A shiver took over me as I found his breath circling my ear, it warmer than the wind whipping around us.

"Give me five minutes," he whispered and I held my ground, offering a small laugh.

"More like five seconds," I joked back. Groose's laughter in my ear told me he wasn't laughing at my joke, but actually at me. As I started to wonder what he was thinking, his lips pressed against below my ear, giving me my answer. "Wha-"

"I know your weakness," he slurred and even though I knew he was being motivated by liquid courage, I still trembled against him, knowing he was right. His lips continued until his head was practically over my shoulder, his hair starting to get in the way of my line of vision. "Right?" he asked and I yelped as he shifted himself, making my Loftwing gawk out as he dipped, sending us left of where we need to go. "Let's go," he repeated and moved to grab the reins, me struggling against him as we started to fly crazy.

"Don't," I started, clenching my teeth as Groose leaned in, his expression too sloppy to even dare let him get away with anything. Before thinking I pushed at his shoulders and in a flurry of discomfort, I pushed him harder, both of us gasping as he slipped right off the Loftwing, all three of us screaming at the sight. I leaned over to try and grab his arm, finding us lowering more and more to the thick cloud. We were now close to the yellow pillar of light, and while I knew the surface was now a real place, I was still unaware of where each portal leaded to. "Groose!" I shouted and after a moment he tugged on me, my heart skipping as I fell off the side with him, both of us suddenly propelling away from my bird, the thick cloud swallowing us whole.

I figured it would offer a buffer, but in the darkened sky I couldn't tell what was happening, only being reminded of the _last_ time I had been sent flying this fast towards the ground. Still, I held my breath, my mind blocking out all other thoughts. I had landed safely somehow last time and at this point, I was praying to Hylia it would happen again.

As the night sky engulfed me, I tried to become as peaceful as I could so that if this time turned a different outcome, I wouldn't enter the next life angry. With my last thought, I cursed myself, only being able to think of one man; Groose.


	17. The Heat

**A/N: If I could wiggle my eyebrows through the computer, I would. Enjoy~**

* * *

><p>I thought I would know the difference between life and death but as my eyes fluttered open again, the peacefulness that surrounded me had me thinking once more I had crossed over, myself unable to feel my body.<p>

However, I breathed in and as I felt the feeling in my toes and fingers come back to me, I knew it meant that by some hidden grace, I had lived through another fall to the surface. How; I almost didn't want to know, too afraid of trying to make sense of it all. When I finally lifted my head up, I turned to find a similar bird statue that laid above the clouds in Skyloft and felt my heart skip a beat, my thoughts returning to the hidden answer to how one could safely land on the surface. Were we protected?

Suddenly I snapped myself from thought, remembering I wasn't the only one that had fallen. Sharply, I turned my head, my breath leaving me as I spotted Groose just a few inched from me, his body perfectly still as he laid on his back. I moved to lean over him, my hand hesitating before touching his brow.

"Come on Groose," I urged. "_I'm_ ok," I pursed my lips as I got no response. "It's your turn to be ok…" I frowned then but gasped as he mumbled, his eyebrows furrowing together before he peeked open his eyes

"P-Penny?" he winced and moved his hand to his head, eyes closing again as he grunted. "Did I do something stupid?" I felt my expression flatten before finding him glancing at me.

"Yeah," I answered, before reaching down to help him sit, his face dropping as we both noticed we were nowhere familiar.

Instead of a forest or sacred temple, stood a large desert, with the occasional ruins of an old building sticking out of the sand. From where we were we could tell most of the danger was away from us, and as my eyes traveled, I found a path that led towards a new area nearby. At this point, I was unsure of what would be our best option; sit or find shelter, but something in my gut told me staying out in the open like this wasn't a good idea.

"Is this the desert ol' Link was talking about?" Groose asked and I looked at him, wondering if he had knocked his head on something other than the surface floor.

"Obviously," I mumbled before standing up, offering Groose my hand as he copied. His hand stayed curled around mine and I allowed it to, pointing at the pathway I had discovered. "I think maybe we should find shelter," I explained and found a complacent Groose, his feet moving before mine up the trail.

The terrain was rough and as we paused periodically to catch our breaths, we found the view a tad terrifying, the desert visibly still full of dangers and monsters. Groose began to move and I followed, our breaths even heavier as we made it to the path, it darkening as we realized it was a tunnel into a large cave. When we arrived on the other side where sunlight spilled in, I became startled by the being that was already occupying the room, its eyes widening for a moment as Groose shrieked.

"What is that?" he yelped and I nudged him as the being chuckled.

"I am Golo, a Goron," he paused, lowering the map he was looking at. "The last human visitor I received was Link," he gazed at us some more. "Are you friends?" he asked and eagerly, I nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.

"We don't really know where we are…" I explained and found a small grin on the goron's face.

"This is Lanayru desert, and this series of caves takes you to different places in the desert," he laughed again. "A cross roads of sorts," I hesitated to cut in on his small rant.

"Is there any place we can..." I shrugged. "Find shelter?"

Golo eagerly nodded before glancing around him.

"This cave doesn't get very cold at night, though I enjoy the cold…" he rustled with the large backpack he had before pulling out an over-sized bed roll. "You can use this and I can help you start a fire with scrap wood from outside,"

As Golo continued to explain this was a prime location, Groose yawned, moving to sit down. I glared at his form as I helped Golo, laying down the bed roll before walking with him as he chatted idly about starting a great fire for us. In long run the fire was dismal, but as I stood by it, the sun slowly setting, I knew it would be just fine. My heart fluttered when Golo instructed he'd leave us for the night, opting to sleep outside where he could star gaze, and yet I was still nervous to share close quarters with Groose; again. Sighing, I stayed standing, watching as Groose glanced up at me.

"Are you ok?" he asked, making me want to choose my words wisely.

"You need to tone it down," I simply remarked, trying to reference the fact he had pretty much caused this new problem. His head hung low and he sighed, wordlessly agreeing.

"I'm sorry about drinking that ale…" his voice lowered more and after realizing he wasn't saying anymore, I crossed my arms over my chest.

"That's part of the equation," I mumbled, watching as his head snapped up, making me swallow my words.

"You mean you want me to apologize for _kissing_ you?" he asked, my heart skipping as his tone changed drastically. "You're kidding me…" he frowned a bit, glancing away. I let out a distained sigh, my arms falling from my chest as I waved them in defense.

"I just don't get why you think you can be so physical with me when you can't even…" I paused, already knowing this had taken a bad turn. Groose stayed where he was on the floor, but he leaned forward a bit, his finger pointing in my direction.

"Don't you think the way I am around you is proof enough?" he hinted and I skewed my lips to the side, trying to not let this get out of hand.

"I just…" I lowered my eyes. "Don't know how long I can wait for you to actually say something to me," my heart raced as his eyes softened a bit. "When will _this_ be defined?" I motioned to the space between us, feeling my emotions rising. "When will _I_ be able to kiss _you_ without it being an embarrassment to your friends?" I asked, lowering my voice to a whisper. "I just want to know what it means to hold and kiss a person like that and yet there be no spoken emotion,"

"Penny, what's there not to get?" I froze as Groose interrupted me. "I _like_ you and knowing that you like me back makes me like you even more," I hesitated finally look over at him, finding him struggling to get up from his spot next to the fire. "You're patient and give me way more credit than I deserve," his eyebrows furrowed together as he stepped closer. Tensing up even more, I was unable to even turn to look at him. "I will never understand why Hylia has allowed _this_ to go on and bless me,"

He paused next to me and as his hand finally outstretched to me, I willed myself to turn to him, his hand cupping my face before our lips met. It had been a while since I had the sweet liberty of tasting him and while I was still shaking inside, I tried not to let it show as he parted. The gaze he gave me almost brought it back but I only gulped, letting his hand stay where it was pressed against my cheek.

"The way you let me kiss you is what's going to make me fall in love with you,"

His words nearly left me just a shell of a woman, my conscious leaving me for a moment as I analyzed what he had just said. _Love_? Who said anything about love? I blinked, my heart reminding me that typically, after you like someone enough it was what came next. It was what like could blossom into and the more I thought about it the more it didn't scare me. I could tell by the way Groose's eyes softened he was over his initial fear of his words, his lips twitching before he leaned down to kiss me again.

This time I was a little more eager to meet him, my hands moving from my side to his, slowly sliding up his torso until they rested on his shoulder blades, inviting him into a hug. The sling his arm still sat in made the movements he made in return more difficult but as his hands met my sides we both shifted, my back hitting the wall of the cave I had previously been standing near. I let out a small gasp against his lips and he leaned away a bit, smiling.

"Let's go back to the fire," he suggested his voice low as he turned, my body following him in agreement.

Once I sat down on the bed roll the Goron had lent us, I sighed, already feeling myself getting worked up over a small kiss. I reached down to remove my boots, letting out a slow breath as my mind trailed to how much I had grown to love the kisses he gave, even though at this point there hadn't been that many. Every time my thoughts took me back to the time he had clutched me to his chest, his lips trailing just below my collarbone before I became overwhelmed. Why was it that I argued about taking things slowly and yet wished every moment I was with him that his hands would reach out and just hold me like he did in those memories? Absent-mindedly, my fingers drifted to my neck, my lips trembling as I realized just what I was doing.

Gulping I shifted my vision towards Groose who had also taken off his shoes, his eyes staring directly into the fire as he sat next me. I could feel the warmth radiating off both him and the flames, and yet while the desert chill had me cold, I found myself gravitating towards him rather than the blaze.

"Is your shoulder doing any better?" I asked, staring at the sling for a moment before catching Groose's eyes. He shrugged, moving a hand to the fabric holding his other arm up.

"I could do without the sling," he paused and I watched as he tore it off, wincing as he moved his shoulder around a bit. "Makes it easier to sleep," he explained in a mumble, his movements stopping so he could look at me again. I raised a curious eyebrow and he leaned over a bit. "Makes it easier to hug you," on the risk of sounding too cliché he skewed his lips to the side, staying silent as he reached out, my body shifting so I could comply with his physical request, resting my cheek on his good shoulder as he sighed.

"Groose,"

It took me a moment to realize I had called out to him, and as he hummed I pulled back a bit, my arms staying where they were on his sides. I couldn't think of why I had said his name, and yet I knew what I had just been thinking about, knowing full well what I wanted. His eyes drifted closed as I leaned in again, this time taking the lead as my lips met his. I could feel the small smile that met me and after a moment, I lifted a hand to the curve of his neck. His hands twitching at my sides were all the response I needed, my heart almost wanting to surprise him even more. It was _my_ turn.

Finding the courage, I tested him, gripping his neck tighter as I pressed my tongue at his lips, feeling my body lean more into him as he instantly complied, our arms wrapping around each other more. Not having any more room to lean I made a rash decision, holding onto his shoulders again before moving my legs so that slowly I was kneeling, finding myself at his height. Groose broke away from the kiss for a moment to observe me, his breath heavier than usual.

"Here," he whispered, and I flinched as he tugged at my side.

My chest met his and as a stray hand drifted towards my behind, I shivered, thankful I couldn't really see his face from where I had fallen against him. His hand cupped my thigh and as he guided me to his lap, I leaned my head back to kiss him again, trying to hang on to my control as I straddled him. His bad arm kept its position on my back where it held me to him while his other hand drifted again, finding its way to my waist.

I pulled away for a moment to catch my breath but as Groose took this time to let his lips travel I knew the moment they met my neck I was out for the count. The kisses reminded me again of what had happened last time I encountered this feeling and how weak it had made me. This time, I was mildly surprised not to find any resistance, my mind pushing to find out what more this could lead to. Groose's eyes drifted from my neck to my eyes and he had me lean back a bit.

"Let me?" I wasn't sure what he was referring to but again I got my answer as his other hand met my shoulder, his fingers pushing under the fabric to touch my bare shoulder.

I sucked in a deep breath, knowing that I was going against supposed moral codes as I nodded, relaxing my shoulders as he pushed the fabric some more. It didn't take long for him to figure just to nudge at my blouse from my waist line, his golden stare meeting my eyes again for silent permission. I steadied myself before agreeing, raising my arms so the fabric could be moved away, it landing behind us on the roll. While I had agreed, I was glad to have my corset, still unsure of _how_ far I was willing to go.

The smile on Groose's lips encouraged me just enough to allow him to continue leaving a trail of kisses along my shoulder before he leaned me back some more so he could dip his head lower to press his lips to the top of my breast. It made me shiver again and as he pulled away to glance at me I breathed out.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked and as I asked myself the same question, I was surprised to hear my mind and heart rallying in refusal.

Slowly, I shook my head and as Groose's expression softened; his arms outstretched me even more, making me wonder if I had not responded with the right answer. Soon though, as I realized he was tilting me back, I allowed my back to meet the floor, happy for the large bedroll. My arms found Groose's shoulders again as he lowered himself over me, most of his weight resting on his good arm while he moved his free hand against my shoulder. I let out a soft breath, thankful for the kiss he then planted, knowing it was pure distraction from his hand curling itself around a breast. Even though the fabric I could feel the heat radiating off his palm and couldn't hold back the moan, his lips curving in a small smile against my own.

"Does that feel good?"

I resisted the urge to let my eyes roll into the back of my skull, half because of how ridiculous it sounded and half because his words were fitting for the situation. The only emotion I felt seeping out though was embarrassment and when I finally peered at him, I tried to hint that he wasn't going to get a straight answer. It was then that he smirked, moving his hand from my chest to his own, tugging at his tunic. I decided to reach out and help, breathing out as my fingers met his flesh, knowing that this was now turning into something a little more heated.

Groose lowered himself next to me then, his arm outstretching to roll me towards him, my body complying as we once against kissed, this time our legs moving around each other. I found myself busy with caressing his chest, my hands trembling a bit every time a small twitch caused him to involuntarily flex. As his hands lowered a bit I found my own hand trailing, it landing on his hip, a single finger tucking under the waist-band of his pants. I found Groose pause then, his eyes lowering to look at me, a gasp on my lips as I found a serious expression.

"Is this what you want because…" he gulped while his hand snapped up to push the hair that had fallen in my face, his palm resting against my jaw. "I don't want to make you upset," he paused again, eyes flickering over the features of my face. "If we keep going…"

"We won't be able to stop…" I continued, his lips falling into a small frown as I stole the words from his lips. Groose sighed through his nose.

"Tell me Penny," he urged and I gulped before moving my hand to his cheek, offering a small smile.

"I want this," I felt my lips tremble as Groose's lips parted. I felt my heart nearly leap out of my chest as I my words escaped me. "I want _you_,"

Groose's next expression was something I wished I could have immortalized somehow; his gaze froze and his hand tensed at my cheek, lips falling even more open as he realized what I had just admitted to him. I could feel my own blush rising, and while I was glad to have it out in the open, I was nervous, not knowing how he'd react. Tilting my head back I kissed him again, smiling briefly as he instantly responded, pulling me closer.

"_Yes they are in that cave over there…" _

Groose and I froze, our eyes exchanging a worried glance. The voice we heard was Golo and after his pause, came another voice, one that made at least me turn the brightest shade of red.

"_Are they ok?_"

Link. I gulped but found Groose hugging me tighter, his body moving to lift me up a bit. Frantically he gave my shirt back to me and I pulled it over, gulping as Groose pushed back the blanket of the bed roll and motioned me in. He leaned in close, his breath still shaky and left a small kiss before smiling.

"Fake sleep," he urged and I snickered for a moment before nodding, grabbing the blanket and huddling it to my chest. Groose positioned himself next to me over the blanket, his bad arm laying over where my waist was before he too lowered his head down to the small indent that was a pillow.

"He-" Link's voice broke off as he undoubtedly noticed us. Our backs were to him, and I was glad, knowing my face was probably just as red as Groose's hair. Then it hit me that Groose was still shirtless and I gulped. "Oh…"

"They're asleep," Golo commented and I sighed softly, wondering if Link would buy it.

"I _did_ not get the message they were lost until recently," he mumbled and after a few moments, their footsteps shuffled away, their voices returning to mumbles outside the cave. I shuffled a bit but found Groose holding me still, his lips meeting the back of my head.

"Sleep," he encouraged and after a moment, I nodded.

So many emotions coursed through me as I tried to do what Groose said, my eyes only slightly heavy from the exhaustion of what we had just both participated in. I shivered slightly at the thought, knowing the tingling inside me was a side effect of letting Groose knew how I felt. In that moment, I was ready to give myself to him, but I wondered even if we hadn't been stopped by _outsiders_ if we would have really gone through with something so intimate.

Regardless, I felt my thoughts drift elsewhere when I realized that come morning, we would have a _lot_ of explaining to do to a certain blonde in green.


	18. A Reason

**A/N: It's crazy to hear that some of you _created_ accounts just to comment on this story. I love you :3**

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><p>It was hard to sleep that night, regardless of how warm or comfortable I might have been with the company I had. Yet, that's right where my mind kept drifting to; how Groose was able to fall asleep so soundly and I laid there, eyes watching the fire still trying to calm myself down. My heart had been racing, trying to get over the fact I had practically gave Groose permission to take me and while it hadn't occurred, there had been no discussion about it.<p>

Then again, I reprimanded myself for even wanting to talk about it, knowing it would either lead to more embarrassment or another heated moment between us. I could feel my face heat up at the thought, wondering if there would ever be a time where I wouldn't be so anxious. I felt the small of my back press into Groose's abdomen and gulped, knowing full well what my body was doing. Responding to the memories of what had _just_ happened, I shivered, my body tingling in resentment of being left unsatisfied.

I brought my lip into my mouth as my legs twitched, amazed at how a simple recollection could arouse the same feelings as before. It didn't help that the man that had been causing those feelings was right next to me, making my frustration even worse. My leg twitched again and I stifled a sigh, tightening my eyes as I tried to contain myself, feet wiggling under the blankets.

"If you kick me one more time, I'll sit on your legs,"

My eyes widened as Groose's low voice circled my ear and after his arm shifted, allowing himself to lean over me some more I turned a bit, allowing my eyes to meet his curious ones. The way his eyebrow twitched told me he was well aware of what was wrong and even though any noise or movement we made risked us being heard by our outside company, I almost didn't care. The bedroll blanket was what separated us, and for now, it also helped keep me at ease.

"Penny…" he gulped before wincing, his injured arm slow to rise up to touch my shoulder. I tried to push forth a smile, but could only find myself glancing away. "Listen, the next time we're alone-"

"Don't," I interrupted, my eyes snapping back to his. His eyebrows shot up and he frowned a bit. "I mean…" I could still feel my heart racing. "I'd rather not plan," I explained without giving too much away. Groose breathed out before nodding once, lifting his hand up so a few fingers brushed against my chin.

"We should let Link take us home," he mentioned, making my eyes widen a bit.

"Huh?" I started, watching at his lips skewed to the side in a smirk, his eyes trying to silently tell me his dilemma. He lowered himself down again, and at first I was delighted by the kiss he offered, but my breath hitched as I realized why he hadn't said anything. Through the blanket and fabric of clothes I felt his own arousal, and after he pulled himself away, I felt my body almost wanting to go with him. "Wait,"

Groose's head shook and he pulled himself away, sitting up for a moment to replace his tunic and arm in the previously discarded sling. I sat up as well, reaching out to help him, pursing my lips at my shaky fingers. We again had shared a small intimate moment whose end wouldn't be seen and I was on edge, an emotion I knew I shared with Groose as he stared at me intently. We had scooted away from each other just in time for the shuffling that came at the cave entrance, Groose's head lifting as he moved the blanket a bit, my eyes trailing to see him place it over his lap My face flushed even more as I realized what I had just stolen a glance of and knew there was no getting rid of it in time for Link to see us. His grin was small as he observed the two of us, the awkward silence dragging on longer than it truly needed to.

"So I heard you had an accident," he started. I let a small sigh go; relieved he hadn't brought up the tension that seemed so obvious to me. Groose chuckled and I tried to bring my emotions up, nodding with him.

"No more pumpkin ale for Groose," he referred to himself and after a small group laugh, Link moved to sit with us, obviously not caring about sitting on the desert floor of the cave.

"Pipit saw you fall and had Cawlin and Strich come find me," he paused to let a small grin slide across his features. "Sorry it took a while to track you down…" he shrugged a bit and after Groose waved him off, I sighed.

"Well when will it be safe to fly back to Skyloft?" I asked, still feeling anxious. Link glanced up through the crack spilling in moonlight.

"Sunrise," he answered, making me gulp.

While the sun had been away for quite a while, I wasn't really looking forward to spending even more time in this situation. At the moment, I still wanted Groose's hands on me, touching the places he had been before we were interrupted. My face fell again and after hearing Groose shuffle a bit, Link and I both watched as he laid down under the bedroll sheets.

"Well then we might as well get sleep," he offered and I wondered if he was still trying to hide something.

He pushed forth a dorky smile before closing his eyes, his feet hitting my butt as he snuggled in. I jumped a bit but glanced back to see Link suppressing a laugh. Hardly appearing tired, he opted to dust off his boots. I adjusted myself as well, wiggling my toes in front of the fire as I tried to mellow my emotions some more. The silence returned and lasted just as long as it took for Groose's low snores to echo against the walls. Link's soft chuckle made me smile and glance down at the sleeping man, watching as his free hand moved to his lips, making me wonder what he was dreaming about.

"What have you two been up to?" Link asked suddenly, throwing me off. Immediately I thought he was hinting at knowing more than he was letting on, but after seeing the pure curiosity he held in his expression I sighed.

"Just trying to get by…" I trailed, unsure of what to say. "You heard about the thunderhead battle, right?" I asked, watching as Link nodded. "He still needs that brace for another week or so," I explained. Link nodded and after watching him skew his lips to the side, I knew what was coming next.

"Are you guys…" he paused offering a sheepish smile. "Like together?" he finally questioned, making me freeze. After chewing the thought up in my mind, I swallowed hard again, finally nodding, but shrugging afterwards.

"I mean…" I tilted my head to the side as Link's eyebrows jumped. "We are just as _close_ as you and Zelda are," I tried to compare, my eyes widening as Link's hands waved wildly in front of him.

"Wait, me and…" his face reddened and I knew then he trying to cover up something. "Zelda and I aren't-"

"Yet," I interrupted, propelling the conversation forward. Link's expression stiffened just as mine had, only a few seconds passing before he relaxed, hand moving to wipe at his neck.

"Yeah," he mumbled, frowning. "We're walking around the situation," he explained. I creased my eyebrows together.

"Maybe you should just _tell_ her your feelings," I offered. "It will help to get things going," I laughed a bit as he sighed, obviously relieved. His eyes trailed a bit and he narrowed his eyes before pointing at my neck.

"Sorry, you've just," his hand snapped down and he twitched his ears back, eyes snapping away. "_Oh my_," he gulped and I darted my eyes to the lower part of my neck, now seeing what he was talking about. In the session

Groose and I had he had left his mark right above my collarbone, the tiny bruise still obviously a love bite. The only thing that calmed me was the shared embarrassment in the room, Link sheepishly smiled as he moved to lean against the cave wall in the distance. I took it as the hint to try and sleep, but even as Link's arms crossed over his chest and his head tilted in slumber, I frowned, right back to where I was before he entered.

Frustrated, I moved to hug my knees, but found a hand poking my side. I glanced down then and smiled as a sleepy eyed Groose pushed back the blanket, his arm tugging at me. I laid myself against him and breathed in as he tucked the blanket over us, smiling against his chest. His arm laid across me again and I closed my eyes, replacing my irritation with comfort.

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><p>While I was overjoyed to be getting out of the desert and back to Skyloft, I wasn't as pleased with the crammed Loftwing ride between Link and Groose, the red-head clinging to me as Link maneuvered us through the thick of the cloud. I took one last gaze at the golden earth before sighing, wondering if the suitable surface floor was Faron woods and the forest. Just as I began thinking of returning home, Link turned his head back a bit, offering a small grin.<p>

"I know this is last minute, but…" he waved at the green beacon of light just in the distance. "Would you like to come stay with us again before I take you back to Skyloft?" he paused. "Zelda missed the two of you…"

I could already feel Groose's head shaking in approval and as my heart filled with joy of returning to a place I loved, I nodded, watching as Link turned back and propelled his Loftwing towards the other portal. I let out a large sigh of relief as we stayed close to the thick cloud, the bird only lowering once it was clear we were above the forest. Groose's arm tightened around me and I turned my head slightly, trying to see if he was as excited as I was.

Anxious, I clenched my teeth as we landed in the area to the side of the sacred temple, Link's Loftwing resting itself to the ground as we stepped off. After Link encouraged it to stay resting in the calm opening, we walked the familiar steps to where we had helped, at least a little bit, build their new home.

"Surprise!" Link shouted as we neared the humble home, Zelda's figure turning from where she was hanging up her day's laundry. Her smile was infectious as her arms tightened around me, a small laugh escaping me as she bounced from me to Groose and then to Link as she playfully smacked his arm.

"I didn't mean right away!" she beamed, her request to see us obviously recent. She tilted her head and let her smile fall for a moment. "We'll have to go fishing," she commented before Link nodded, reaching down to cup her hand. I smiled as her cheeks turned a shade of pink, glancing up to see Groose rolling his eyes.

"That's the idea," Link encouraged. "Something we can all do,"

He continued to explain what he had in mind for the day, and while I was still exhausted, I was elated to participate. We started off at Lake Floria, and after realizing Groose was still just as good at catching fish with one arm as the rest of us, our help dwindled, only taking the fish from his fist to place in the large bag Zelda had brought with her. The water was peaceful, but as we found our way back to the house and after a fire was started for the meal, I found myself even more at ease.

The cooked fish turned out to be delicious; the four of us devouring the meal till every last bite disappeared. It was outside the home we decided to stay, the sunset sky keeping us transfixed. Zelda laughed at me as I took off my shoes but copied, making the two men look at us bewildered.

"I don't know why you always take your boots off," Groose commented, glancing at my feet. "A bug could bite you," he warned. I rolled my eyes, watching as Zelda dug her feet into the mossy grass.

"The ground is too soft not to pass up," I commented and after a short moment, the guys moved to undo their own footwear, a collective laugh growing as we all pressed our feet into the grass.

As the sun set more, and we cranked our heads up to watch the stars appear, I glanced over to find Link's hand inching closer to wrap around Zelda's. Without much protest, she scooted herself near him and after they both paused to glance at each other, she rested her head on his shoulder, his head tilting to rest on hers.

It was an uplifting sight to see and had the sap in me cooing in delight, but refused to let it show, knowing it would ruin the moment. The stars slowly became more apparent, and in soft whispers, we discovered Zelda had fallen asleep. Groose chuckled softly as Link struggled to stand up with her.

"I think we should get some sleep," he spoke softly before picking her up, her legs hanging over one arm as he held her to his chest. Groose stood up and nodded, walking in front of him towards the door. I turned to also stand up, but paused as Groose opened the door.

"We'll be in soon," he promised. He walked back from the door for him to sit down next to me. A small smile met my lips as he moved his arm behind me, his hand pushing at my side so I leaned into him. It was always the small things that he did that made me the happiest, and now, as his other hand stretched out to cup my hand, my smile widened.

In this moment, I was content. We were where everything had started for us and where most of my fondest memories came from. I had lived my whole life thinking Skyloft was all that the Goddess had to offer and now, I felt almost as close to the earth I walked on as I did back in the sky.

"Do you ever dream about living on the surface?" I whispered, tilting my head so I could catch Groose's expression. His hand twitched at my side as he glanced up in thought.

"What, like…" his face scrunched up a bit. "_Together_?" he asked, gulping. I chuckled slightly before shaking my head into his shoulder.

"No," I pressed forth a grin as his expression relaxed. "I just meant in general," I lifted my hand to motion my head. "Like _in_ your dreams…" I explained and watched as Groose's eyebrows lifted, understanding.

"Oh," he paused before shrugging, his hand still trembling at my waist. "Yeah, I do," he answered shortly and I felt curious, pulling away for a moment to observe him easier.

"What was that?" I laughed, unsure of why he was being short with me. While I expected Groose to just blow the question off, I found a small blush meet his cheeks as he glanced away again.

"When I dream of the surface I'm not alone…" his eyes drifted back to me and I felt my smile soften, knowing he wouldn't be finishing his sentence. I leaned my head against his shoulder again, letting one of my thumbs escape his hold to caress the back of his hand.

"I'm never alone either," I replied, feeling quite bashful as our eyes met again. Groose grinned again, his hand pulling me closer to him.

"You're my girl, right?" Groose asked. I let a small smile come to my lips.

"Are you asking, or telling?" I retorted, finding him copying my small chuckle. His gaze softened as we stayed staring at each other and I felt my heart swell, knowing this was the first time we were sharing such a relaxed, close moment.

"I still don't get how you like me like you do," he suddenly mumbled, taking me back a moment. I blinked, only finding something nice to respond to, not bothered by his choice insecurities.

"Believe it or not, under that tough exterior is a _good_ man," I offered, moving the hand that was in his to his chest, smiling some more. Groose let out a low breath before becoming the timid one.

"I think you're the reason why I'm a good man," he argued, shaking his head slightly. I tilted my head again.

"Don't give me _too_ much credit…" I lowered my voice as he moved his hand to grab my hand again, letting our fingers intertwine as he lowered his head to mine, our lips meeting in a small kiss. After we parted we kept our faces close, Groose's eyes glancing over my features.

"It helps that you're beautiful,"

It was a strangely worded compliment, but as my cheeks heated up, I knew I shouldn't expect any less from Groose; knowing he had a different way of getting his point across. At this point I had been used to physical clues to his attraction; everything from tiny kisses to the heated tryst in the desert that almost made us lovers. Now that our emotions were out in the open, it made me wonder if I would now need to become accustomed to little phrases like this.

"You're pretty handsome yourself," I responded and after we shared similar smiles we rested our heads against each other in a hug, the sound of the fire crackling taking over the silence.

Closing my eyes, I felt confident in what this relationship was becoming, even though there had still been no solid definition. Still, I allowed a small smile to slide across my lips, feeling Groose's lips press softly against my brow. This is what peace was.


	19. A Mistake

When I awoke the next morning, it was hard not to feel content at the sound of the many birds chirping in the distance. As I shifted my body, I wiggled my toes against the grass, realizing I must have fallen asleep outside. When I finally decided to open my eyes, I smiled, finding Groose's sleeping form right next to me. Stretching, I sighed, amazed that I was able to sleep the entire night outside and still feel refreshed. It didn't take long for my eyes to drift back to the still sleeping Groose, knowing he was part of the reason I was so content.

My hand moved back to try and help him wake up, but before I got the chance, the door to the small house behind us creaked open, Link's tired expression lighting up a bit as he saw us.

"I was wondering where you were," he mumbled. I smiled, bringing my knees to my chest. "Did you sleep ok?" he asked. I nodded, resting my chin on the top of one of my knees.

"What's the plan for today?" I kept my voice low as Groose curled himself up. Link scratched the back of his head.

"I usually gather some fruit in the morning if you'd like to join," he offered, glancing back to the house. "No harm in letting them sleep in," I laughed a little as he looked back to Groose, whose mouth was now hanging open as he snored.

After standing, I idly followed Link as we entered the larger part of the forest, past the giant mushroom growths. It was here that I remembered I had come to gather various foods when I was stuck on the surface. It was just another sweet memory that brought a smile to my face and even though I would probably be back in Skyloft by the night's end, I already couldn't wait until the next time I would be able to visit.

There were plenty of berries to pick from the bushes scattered across the woods and I noticed there would be enough to take back to Skyloft. Laughing to myself, I could barely believe how pleased I was with my life at the moment. Link glanced at me and I shook my head, already knowing what he was going to ask.

"So you think you'll talk to Zelda?" I bet him to the conversation starter, his lips pursing as he glanced away in thought.

"I've encountered and defeated hundreds of monsters and yet I can't tell the girl I love that I do," he frowned some more and I reached out to pat his shoulder.

"We're just a different type of trial," I encouraged, offering a small grin. Link nodded, moving back to filling up the bag between us full of berries.

It was nice to, for once, have a normal conversation. My mind felt relieved at not needing to try and come up with excuses or lies or tolerance for the other person speaking. I smiled again as I thought of Peatrice, wondering if maybe now I would be able to handle her easier with my newfound happiness.

Link and I joked as we slowly made our way back to the house, our attention to one another as we spoke. We had paused in the path leading to the house to pick up a few berries and fruit as they fell out, but when my gaze drifted from the ground upwards, I was a little anxious about what I was witnessing in the distance.

"Wha-"

"Shh," I hushed Link as we both froze, the sight of Groose and Zelda hugging by the old campfire slightly disturbing. I was about to attribute it to a conversation they must have been having, but after they parted, the lingering Groose held towards her made every emotion inside of me drop. Right as he surprised her with a small kiss to her lips she pushed him away, shaking her head violently, her words thankfully not reaching us. Link started to get up and I blocked him with my arm, shaking my head.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," I paused, knowing I was just as upset as he was. "Just…let them explain on their own…" I sighed, gulping down the sickening feeling I had. Link's lips fell into a deep frown but he nodded, the two of us waiting until the two in the clearing separated. "So, Machi visits you often?"

I tried to pick the conversation up right where it had ended, stepping forward so Link got the hint. He seemed hesitant, but followed, our meaningless words filling the void till we reached the house. I could feel my expression falling, but knew that every person in the group was struggling with what to say. We all knew what had happened, but they were unaware of what we had seen. I tried to read Groose's face but his eyes snapped away from me, making me even more anxious. Instead, I glanced to see Zelda holding a desperate expression, Link's face scrunched up in confusion. After a moment, he shrugged.

"Did you want me to take you back to Skyloft?" he asked cautiously, but I knew well enough it was to get rid of us so that more conflict could be avoided. I brought my lip into my mouth, nodding. When I turned to Groose, he was already walking back to the clearing near the temple, his arms tucked over his chest.

"Come back quickly," I heard Zelda mumble to Link, her hand reaching out to grip his wrist. His eyes stayed flat, but he smiled, nodding. "I need to talk to you…" she trailed and I turned, praising Zelda's ability to be honest. If she had it her way, she would tell him now, but seemingly, she picked up on our knowledge, and would wait; something I hoped I would be able to accomplish as well.

I was still holding back any emotion, figuring that for once I should give Groose the chance to follow by example and tell me. It was a battle to think about the situation, knowing that if I didn't know about the kiss, it wouldn't be an issue and yet, figuring that Zelda would tell Link anyways, I would _eventually_ make light of the infidelity. I felt my brow furrow at the thought, knowing it was hardly infidelity when the relationship between Groose and I was still undefined. Still, my heart was slowly sinking into my stomach, knowing that enough emotion had been invested towards each other to know that this was a kind of betrayal.

The more and more I thought about it, the more and more I felt an emotion I hated; jealousy. The feeling took a while to build up in the pit of my stomach, but as we walked to Link's still sleeping Loftwing, all I could think was how before Groose had formed any feelings for me, he had only wanted Zelda, and at any cost. I felt foolish, blindsided as I wondered if all along I was the distraction Groose was looking for and low and behold, I was hardly a replacement.

Even Groose had admitted he'd let his eyes wander, and since then I grew to think it meant he would focus on me, but now, I wondered if I was just being selfish and his true emotions had been revealed; he still harbored feelings for Zelda. Before I could let the tears penetrate my vision, I blinked hard, clenching my teeth as Link reached out to pet his Loftwing.

"Are you guys safe to fly on your own?" he asked, looking only at me. I gulped, knowing he was trying to avoid talking to Groose. I turned to see him with his back to us and shrugged, gazing at his Loftwing as it gawked at me. "Don't worry," Link pushed forth a smile. "He trusts you,"

At this point the atmosphere was hard to define. Sure, Groose still moved to hold onto me as we departed the surface, making my mind race even more. It seemed like he had been holding back something and in my mind, I hoped it wouldn't be for long. However, as we touched back down in Skyloft, I was met by an empty stare before his gaze drifted away. It was then that I couldn't hold back my emotions, my fists clenching as my blood boiled over.

"I think you should know by now we saw you," I hinted at first, watching as Groose's eyes widened, but his body stayed still. I gulped, taking in a deep breath. "I saw you Groose," I restated, the last of my trust for him pleading he'd admit it. "_Say_ something," I pursed my lips as my eyes glazed over, his jaw clenching as he glanced over.

"I don't know what you want me to say…" he mumbled.

I broke at his words and sharply turned; knowing if I stared at him any longer my temper would rise. As my heart ached, I realized I was far too hurt to be angry. I was embarrassed that I had allowed whatever we had get to this point, only to be ruined by something as trivial as this. Sure he had kissed Zelda, but she hadn't asked for it. In my mind I knew I was willing to forgive him if he'd just explain himself, but as I stole another glance at him, he stood there, his face not telling of what he was thinking about.

"Please say something," I whispered, knowing I was trying too hard to hold onto some sort of reason.

Groose winced before hanging his head down and I let out an aggravated breath before turning again, my feet moving fast as I distanced myself from him. I knew he wasn't following, but as all the memories of what we had shared came rushing back at me in a blur, I began to run, not wanting him to hear even the slightest sound of my cries. I dissolved into a mess as I entered my home, observing I was alone before letting my hand cup over my lips as I huffed.

As I sat there against the door, tears flowing out I tried to comprehend what had happened. For a while I believed the feelings of jealousy would be an emotion of the past, but the way my heart palpitated in this moment made it clear it was back, and in full force. My emotions had been built up, my expectations set so high and right as I thought my heart was ready for the next step, I had been knocked down. I leaned my head against the door, gazing at the ceiling before feeling the walls close around me. For now, it didn't matter how close I had been to Groose before and how tolerant I had been towards his mistakes in the past. In this moment, I felt that it was all over and I had been just another trophy he had tried to win.

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><p><em>Groose<em>

It was bad enough I had to deal with the guilt of what I had done; I had kissed Zelda. We had been talking about the surface and her new life there when she forgave me, saying any behavior in the past was redeemable by my help during their time of need. She had hugged me and in a small moment of weakness, my heart remembered how I had felt about her in the past and before I could control myself, had kissed her.

The situation became worse when almost immediately, I had to face Penny, her curious expression more frightening than I could ever try to comprehend. I felt ashamed, even more so when I turned my back to them, knowing that if I had to see Penny's expression one more time I would crack.

Our trip back to Skyloft wasn't any better and I was still so much in denial about what I had just done that I couldn't think of anything to say to her. I figured it would be for the best, knowing our tempers usually clashed. It irritated me, knowing Penny loved the surface so much and yet, upon every return I did something to push us back a few steps in our relationship. Then again, I wasn't entirely sure where we were to begin with; neither of us had taken that conversation where it needed to be, even though I knew well enough I liked her and she liked me.

Penny's expression when we finally landed in Skyloft made me wonder if our relationship was a lot more intense than I previously thought. She seemed to be determined to get a straight answer from me without a fight and yet, my words failed me. I didn't know what to say and when she stormed off, tears in her eyes, I knew I had made a terrible mistake.

It had been such a short time since I had first developed feelings for her and yet, as she walked away, I became truly terrified I had ruined my only chance at being with her. Yet, my feet didn't move after her, almost knowing she needed space; we both did.

My heart was heavy and I was sure at this point my expression was hard telling I was carrying a guilty conscious, but even in the daylight of Skyloft, I was able to retreat to my room in the academy with little issue. However, as the day progressed, and I found myself in even more or a rut, I knew it wouldn't be long until somebody came for me. Though, when a knock finally came at the door, I could feel myself hoping it was Penny and we would be able to work through this. After all, I had yet to explain myself.

"What did you _do_?"

Cawlin's small stature didn't stop him from sounding and looking terrified as he bounced into my room, Strich following him as they cornered me back to my bed. I widened my eyes, raising my arms in defense before realizing that they also _knew_.

"I-" I gulped, knowing there was still no way of explaining myself. Strich raised an eyebrow.

"We heard from Peatrice that you did something…" he leaned towards me and I pursed my lips, freaked out by the way his eyes leered at me. "She wasn't specific, but says Penny isn't too pleased with you,"

I was about to respond when Cawlin widened his eyes even more at me.

"You were on the surface, weren't you?" he snapped and I was amazed at how threatening they were willing to be with me. "It's something to do with Zelda, huh?" he asked, hands landing on his lap. I was sure that at the way my expression fell, they were able to put two and two together. But as they narrowed their eyes some more, I let out a sigh, knowing they wanted _me_ to say it.

"I may have kissed-"

"You _may_ have?" Cawlin shouted, interrupting me. "You either did or you didn't," he yelped, looking to Strich.

"Did you?" the taller one asked. I creased my eyebrows together.

"Why do you guys suddenly care about Penny and me?" I snapped back, still feeling defensive. Cawlin let out a low sigh before shaking his head.

"If we weren't your friends we wouldn't be saying this but," he paused to offer a frown. "We like you better when she's around," he skewed his lips to the side and I frowned, feeling even more guilt-ridden.

"She's good for you, Groose," Strich finished and in a surge of confidence, I stood up, taking a deep breath in.

They stared at me for a moment and I tried to push forward a brave face as I walked out wordlessly, but as I walked outside and down the familiar path to Penny's house, I could feel my shoulders slumping. This too was a mistake; I was still unsure of what to say. But as I started to turn, the door opened, Penny's eyes widening as she stumbled against the wood.

"Oh," she breathed but as I turned to her, she pulled herself back behind the door, eyes shifting away. "I was going…" she broke off, and turned around, bringing the door with her, I reached out without really thinking about it and yelped as the door hit my fingers, her own shriek echoing as the door bounced back open. "What are you doing?" she asked, eyebrows clenched together. I licked my lips nervously as I clenched my fist to evade the pain before stepping forward.

"We need to talk," I urged, hoping that it would at least help to get me in the door.

Her gaze softened, but I watched intently as her jaw clenched, lips moving to the side as she stepped back. She closed the door after I entered and when I looked at her again, I found her in front of it, hands clenching her elbows as her arms crossed over her middle. I wanted to read her eyes before speaking but she didn't give me the chance. As I glanced over her features, I felt my heart sink at the little things I noticed; her hair was back to hanging over her shoulder and as my eyes trailed to the end of the braid, I noticed the remains of a love bite, knowing full well it had been me who had placed it there.

My face heated at the site of both details, knowing she only wore her hair like that when she didn't want my attention. I had made the point about liking her hair the other way and while I figured it wasn't a conscious choice, the fact she was covering proof of our relationship made my ego decrease even more. After she finally looked at me, I realized the silence had gone on longer than I had intended.

"I'm sorry," I spat out, my mind unable to form any other words. Penny's expression dropped even more and she took a shaky breath in.

"If that's all you have to say you can leave," she whispered before moving away from the door. I didn't hesitate to reach out to her but found her shying away from my touch. "Don't even…" her voice became even shakier and I wondered if I had lost out on relying on her patience she once held for me.

"Penny, just…" I couldn't believe that my mind was failing me. "You're not mad, are you?" I winced as her eyes immediately widened, arms breaking from her chest. I had just dug my own grave.

"If you think I'm just _mad_ at you, you really are…" she looked away, struggling to find her words as well. "I'm beyond disappointed," she whispered and I noticed her eyes had glazed over. "I don't care how close we might have been," I felt my chest cave in at the meaning behind her words. "How do you think it feels to know someone you really care about _kissed_ the girl he used to…" she let a long sigh as her hand pressed to her brow.

"It was a mistake," I urged, watching as she blinked hard. "_You're_ my girl, Penny," I explained, but found her distancing herself even further away from me.

"I'm not _yours_," she hissed, holding a deep frown. "I don't think I ever was," she spoke and I felt my emotions break down as I reached out to her again, pulling her to me as she struggled to push me away.

"You've got to hear me out," I felt myself pleading, only feeling worse as she grunted against me, finally hitting my injured shoulder to make me pull away. I held it, knowing no matter what, I deserved it. She yanked open her door again and I figured she was kicking me out, but she turned to me once more, eyes ablaze.

"_You've_ got to figure yourself out," she mumbled. "Till then, I don't want to see you…" her head turned and soon, her body followed to move outside.

Penny left and suddenly, I was overwhelmed enough to sink to the floor, resting my head against the nearby table. However, no matter how pathetic I felt I knew I deserved her harsh ultimatum, returning to my original thought that we _both_ needed space. I thought back to what Cawlin and Strich had told me; that Penny was good for me. She _did_ make me a better person, and it was only a small part of the equation why I held such emotions towards her. The more I thought about those emotions I realized they _were_ as intense as I previously thought. In this moment, it hit me that if I lost out on earning her shared feelings back, I would lose the possibility of ever having somebody to love and somebody to love me.


	20. What Was Missing

**A/N: WHOA... You're kind of imploding my mind right now... with all these wonderful, sweet and amazing reviews. I still can't believe the few that created accounts just to review. Thank you for reading! :D**

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><p>It didn't surprise me that I didn't feel well the following days. Every morning I awoke with such anxiety, wondering if either Groose would be back to apologize again or if I would crack under the emotional brick I held over my head. The combination of overwhelming nerves and thoughts drove me to keep busy, but after realizing Groose really was staying away from me like I had <em>requested<em>, I felt even worse.

I didn't know how long I would be able to go along with my own threat, but knew I needed time to figure myself out as well. Currently, I wondered if we had rushed into something neither of us really had any experience with, but I quickly concluded that simply wasn't the case; we were just too stubborn to notice something that had almost always been there since we encountered each other on the surface.

I couldn't believe how ridiculous it sounded; it wasn't long ago I had no regards for him and it took just a little time and forced close-quarters to realize that beneath a hardened exterior was a man just as vulnerable to emotion as me. I had already internally forgiven Groose for his actions, knowing that he was still learning, as was I. Still, I wanted him to find that out for himself and actually talk about his problems instead of assuming they would eventually dissipate and be forgotten. Until then, I knew our relationship, whatever it may be, was toxic.

That toxicity was what scared me the most, because I knew, deep down I wanted him in my life more so than any other citizen of Skyloft. The whole situation made my head spin; I was so willing to share myself with him and yet I had pushed him away and didn't know when or if I'd ever get him back.

In the end, I believed I had made the right decision and tried my best to ignore it, but it was useless to think it would dwindle away like an idle thought. Almost every moment it consumed my thoughts, and at every shadow I hoped I'd turn to find Groose standing there waiting. It never happened, and by the end of the week I wondered if I had over reacted to something that could be easily explained.

I had woken up that morning like any other day since our falling out; disheartened and unwilling to participate in what the day had to offer. Peatrice was working the shop and seeing as I was alone in the house, I let my frown stay, knowing I didn't need to fake it. My heart nearly stopped when there was noise at my door, my mind instantly snapping to who I thought it might be. It took me a moment to collect myself, hands still shaky as I reached out to open it, most of my nerves washing away as I saw only Karane. Her eyebrows arched and I wondered how tense I must have looked.

"Hey," she breathed, and I gulped as I took in her full knight uniform. "Groose wouldn't happen to be here, would he?" she asked, leaned up to look past my shoulder. I felt my eyes widen and my heart freeze again, wondering just what she was getting at.

"Why would he be here?" I questioned back, my voice low. Karane's brow creased as she looked at me curiously.

"Well Groose is your boyfriend, isn't he?" she implied and I felt the feeling in my face disappear. Knowing the color must have drained as well, Karane leaned back a bit. Her eyes widening as she crossed her arms. We stayed silent for a while and I heard Karane let out a low sigh before pursing her lips. "Rough times?" she whispered and I hesitated to nod.

"You wouldn't believe…" I answered, watching as her gaze softened.

"Whatever happened, I'm sure you can work through it," she paused to offer a small smile. "I hope you do," her eyes glanced up in thought. "For once I think Groose deserves to be happy," she lightly joked. I softly chuckled with her but as she stepped back, my thoughts snapped back to her initial reason for being here.

"Wait, are you looking for Groose?" I asked, watching as her expression fell. Slowly, as I realized she was taking her time in responding, I figured whatever she had to say wasn't going to be good. "Karane?" I was growing even more anxious and wondered if all this stress was going to break me. She frowned, but nodded.

"He didn't report for duty this morning," she started and I tried to keep calm. "I thought to come here before ordering a search party," she further explained. I nodded but tilted my head in thought.

"Are you sure he's just not off brooding?" I tried to make light of the situation, but Karane's frown slipped even further down and I felt my panic rise.

"Him not being here confirms what Cawlin said," she locked eyes with me. "I don't know what happened between you two but he's been gone since the two of you returned from the surface," she clarified and I felt my heart sink.

It was hard to take in and suddenly, my panic boiled over as my breathing became more rushed. Karane looked at me curiously and I prayed she would say something else so I wouldn't topple over. She gulped and motioned to the sky.

"We are going looking around the sky islands and thunderhead," she peered at me, trying to be supportive. "You can join us…"

I understood Karane's struggle to find the right words to say. She soon departed from me and I stepped back to the frame of my doorway, petrified. Groose was gone and had been since I told him I didn't want to see him. It was me. _I_ was the reason why Groose was missing and no matter which way I tried to wrap my head around the information I couldn't help but wonder if the situation was worse than him just 'off brooding'.

I struggled to make my way to the bazar, knowing that I needed my sister's advice, no matter how ridiculous it had been in the past. I wasn't too pleased to see Cawlin and Strich standing there with her, but as their conversation hushed as I neared I shook my head.

"I already know," I assured, watching as Peatrice frowned, bringing me into a hug. I glanced at Cawlin who glanced away.

"We don't blame you, if _that's_ what you're wondering," he mumbled and I pulled away from Peatrice to take a better look at their expressions. They seemed just as distraught and I felt my mind question their presence aside from offering information.

"I have trouble believing you guys," I responded, glancing between the two of them. Strich narrowed his eyes and I held my breath, knowing it wouldn't take long for them to crack.

"Listen we _know_ when something is bad for Groose," he paused and I rolled my eyes, already regretting coming to the bazar in the first place. Strich sighed and I glance back, his expression lighter. "But we also know when something it good…" he looked at me then and I clenched my teeth, suddenly guilty for thinking otherwise. Cawlin nodded and I looked at him.

"You guys need to make up A.S.A.P." he pointed up at me and I felt a small smile come to my lips at his determination. "As soon as Groose gets back," he added and I felt my heart leap, wondering when that would even happen. Strich nodded firmly at his words.

"I'm sick of hearing Groose sobbing in his room over you," he admitted and I let my ears twitch, surprised by what he had said. How often had then been occurring? My nerves grew again at realizing the intensity of our relationship. Cawlin's eyes rolled and I paused in my thoughts as he spoke up.

"I'm sick of the _other_ sounds Groose makes over you," he mumbled and my face heated up at the thought of one of the _other _reasons perhaps our relationship had been so intense. Peatrice's arms rose up and she gasped in shock, reaching out to lightly smack the shorter boy, his annoyance making him step back.

The sight was slightly humorous, but still, my heart sank at the thought I wouldn't be able to experience any further feelings and emotions with Groose if he stayed missing. The small outburst quickly turned into them moving to go search for the red head, Peatrice encouraging me she'd stay with the shop so I could join them. Though, as I returned outside, I became confused as to where to even start searching. He could have easily traveled to the surface, opting to stay with Link and Zelda until the situation boiled over. So instead of walking towards a diving platform to call my Loftwing I walked back to the house, figuring at least Karane would let me know if and when they found him.

In hindsight, it was a good thing I returned home as when I opened my door, I felt a combination of relief and yet overwhelming uneasiness hit me all at once. Right at the table in the center of the table sat Groose, his eyes widening as he noticed me standing in the doorway, and I undoubtedly figured our expressions were the same. We stayed staring at each other for what seemed like infinity, neither of our lips moving to say anything. I slightly chocked as I realized I had been holding my breath, taking the action with me as I turned around, almost daring to run outside again.

The thought hit me then, that all the while he had been unknowingly missing I had been hoping for this, wanting nothing but to go back to the way things were. I closed my eyes tight as I slowly closed the door, leaning against it briefly as I prayed to Hylia for guidance. I didn't hear any shuffling behind me and as I turned to gaze back, I wondered if I had only just imagined him there. Yet, again as I stared at him, I still found him gazing up at me, his expression now a lot calmer than mine. I went back to being completely nervous.

"You know…" I struggled to find my voice. "They're all looking for you," I whispered.

"Let them," Groose responded and only then did I know this time he was set on accomplishing something.

With reservation I stepped closer, feeling my heart skip as he stood up, his shoulders straight and overall posture surprising for a man who just a week ago had begged for forgiveness. I was impressed but before I could even get to that emotion, I was buried by anxiety, feeling pressured by the tension in the room. He looked at me and even though he didn't seem expectant, I felt the pressure to do something, or at least _say_ something. However, every time my lips poised to utter any phrase, I could only breathe out, too confused on what he wanted to hear.

Instead I just gazed up at him, letting my expression do the talking. Groose's gaze finally softened and almost simultaneously we reached out for one another, arms wrapping as tight as they would around each other's waists. I felt my emotions gather up and before I could push them away, the tears prickled my vision, my head instantly turning to nuzzle into his chest so he wouldn't see them. Though, as my body trembled at my silent cry, he pulled me away slightly, my lips parting as I tried to control my breathing. It became easier as his hand moved to hold my cheek, my fingers drifting from his back to my face where I wiped at my eyes.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, glancing away. At first, I figured he would follow me in an apology, but right as my eyes met his gaze again he moved my head in his hand, pushing his lips to mine. My eyes took a moment to flutter close but before I could fold into his arms once more, he parted, his stare penetrating.

"I don't want you to ever apologize to me again," he paused to brush the pad of his thumb across my cheek, wiping away a lose tear. His own eyes glazed over and I felt my breath hitch at the sight. Groose was being serious. "It's not ok what I did," he referred to what put us in the situation to begin with. "and simply saying sorry isn't good enough," he paused again before pushing his fingers through my hair and I let a small smile come to my lips, knowing it was unraveled from its usual braid; the way he liked. A similar grin became mirrored on his own lips before he rested his hand on my shoulder. "I figured myself out," he finished and I took a deep breath in before nodding.

"What did you find?" I asked softly. Groose chuckled in the softest way, his hand further drifting back to my waist.

"I don't like being away from you," he spoke. He stayed silent for a moment as our smiles grew, knowing we were taking a huge stride in the right direction. "Penny I don't think I ever want to be away from you…" his face turned a shade of red and I felt slightly amused, still astonished at what embarrassed him.

We moved our hands back to hug, but as he kept me in front of him so he could see me, I paused, smile fading as his teeth clenched. What was it now? Groose licked his lips and I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was so nervous about.

"Can we go steady?" I resisted laughing at his request, even though it would have been in the most innocent way. Groose's expression stayed anxious and after a moment of me not responding, still stuck in the timing and phrase, he gripped me tighter. "Will you be my girl, Penny?"

After a moment I grinned, knowing I had dragged his anxiety out far enough. I nodded before moving myself against him, raising my arms to wrap around his neck as he clutched my waist. I yelped shortly as he lifted me off the ground, twisting me around before setting me down. Our lips met again eagerly, wanting to savor the moment. It was what both of us had been waiting for and I smirked, knowing all the costs it took to get here. As he held me close, mumbling about how happy he was, I rested my head on his shoulder, finally relieved I could be happy as well.

It didn't matter where he had gone and what he had been doing to get to this realization; he was here and now, _we_ were defined. The little things about him I still wanted to change went out the window as he repeatedly kissed my brow, and as we kissed once more with passion, it hit me. Suddenly I knew it wasn't the past I was hoping to regain; it was the future of me and him I wanted to preserve.


	21. Desire

The next few weeks helped me realize two things; that 'going steady' with Groose was something to be cherished and that no matter how private you try to be with your relationship, gossip is going to spread. In the small community of Skyloft it took less than a day for news to travel and when it revolved around the romance of two citizens, it went even faster. It didn't take long for me to realize that the mere mention of a new relationship sparked insinuations about the future, and while at first I found it flattering, it soon became annoying when visitors to the shop asked about my upcoming engagement.

Deep down, however, I knew the prying eyes were well worth it for how delighted I had become. The more days that passed and the more time I spent time with Groose, I wondered why it had taken so long for us to get to this point. Most days I either watched him train, Peatrice eager to join so she could gawk at Fledge. Other times we played games in his room at the academy, always being joined by Cawlin and Strich. I had learned from the very start, even when we were still investigating our feelings that alone time was far and few in-between, and yet it didn't bother me as much as I figured it should.

This acknowledgement pushed Groose to take advantage of every little moment we had together, stealing kisses from me as I worked the bazar and tugging me into quiet alleys for extended embraces. It was these little encounters I learned to treasure the most, loving the speed bumps the microscope on us offered to our relationship. While I had been comfortable with where our undefined relationship had almost drifted to, we were now more emotionally invested, and I willed myself to take time and not rush what I thought I needed.

Then again, I would feel myself getting frustrated, wondering if it was normal how much more attracted I found myself to the red-head, trying to attribute it to our now _public_ relationship. Still, I thought that perhaps I had always felt like this, and I was just too stubborn or distracted by the situation to notice. What was worse was that Groose seemed to know, picking up on my shifty eyes every time he opened his door shirtless, almost doing it on purpose to see me blush.

This is what we had become, and after I had practically already seen him naked in the pond back down on the surface, my nerves were still shaky, unsure of how to react to the hunger deep inside. I would roll my eyes every time, knowing _exactly_ how to react, just knowing I was too petrified to make the first move. Likewise, Groose seemed to be holding back and I knew it was because of our past; we wouldn't be able to stop ourselves. I praised his restraint, but wondered why sometimes, I was barely able to keep myself still, internally asking when I would just spill overboard.

The situation I found myself in at the moment was another prime example; I sat in Groose's room, and while I was glad that at least for once we were alone, he sat in front of his mirror, towel drying his hair after a recent bath. I had been trying to keep my gaze fixated elsewhere; still amazed I had been able to sit still after he came in still pulling his shirt down, his smirk growing as my face heated. It was a little game I found us playing, but for as long as it had been occurring, Groose was winning.

"Penny you look like you're in pain,"

I blinked at hearing Groose's voice, glancing at his form hovering over me. I shifted my eyes down to see my hands clenched against the length of my tunic-dress and pants. After realizing how tense I really must have been I breathed out, offering a sheepish smile as I looked back up at him. The nerves returned at the sight of his flat hair, something I had noticed made me just as dizzy as his other physical attributes. I flattened my lips at my own thoughts, wondering when I became such an emotionally driven person. Groose's smirk made it even worse, but he moved to sit on the edge of his bed, eyes slowly drifting back to me. I licked my lips nervously, wondering what was on his mind.

"What do you want to do tonight?" I asked, tilting my head slightly. Groose shrugged, moving a hand to ruffle his hair, my smile growing back at the sight.

"I'm probably going to call it an early night," he spoke, a small laugh in his voice. My lips fell a bit, knowing that it meant our time was dwindling until the next day. I couldn't think of anything to respond with, but he looked at me again, fingers still combed in his hair. "You don't have to leave though," his tone changed and I looked at him curiously, finding the suggestion he was offering.

"I think it'd be better if I went home," I smiled, watching his lips skew. I thought, perhaps, this was my way of taking advantage of the teasing game we played. Groose leaned forward again.

"_I_ think it'd be better if you slept here," he replied and I chuckled before shaking my head.

"I don't know if it's a good for us to share a bed…" I trailed, glancing away in mock thought. Groose's scoff made my eyes snap back to him.

"Because you aren't _Mrs. Groose_?" The joke made me blush but I still laughed, watching as he leaned back on one of his hands. "We practically lived together on the surface, what's the harm?" he asked and I lowered my head, knowing he was right.

"I know," I smiled cheekily at him. "Still, I don't want my dad or Peatrice to get the wrong idea," I explained and he nodded, reaching back out for my hand. I didn't hesitate to place my hand in his, but shortly yelped as he yanked me closer, my hand fumbling to brace myself against him as I landed on the bed. "_Hey_!" I reached up to push at his chest and struggled as he kept me in place. It didn't matter how much of a fighter I thought I was or could be he would always win.

"Afraid you won't be able to resist this?" he produced a cocky grin and I laughed, pushing against him some more until finally giving up, letting him bounce me down next to him, my legs over his lap. He let his expression soften and I watched his eyes blink softly, and realized he really was exhausted.

Wordlessly he moved my legs to the floor again, smirking at the sight of my already bare feet. I was always grateful for the time I spent with Groose, but now, as he pushed me towards the edge of the bed near the wall, stretching himself alongside me I was thanking Hylia, long missing the feeling of falling asleep in his warmth. The contentment I felt made me instantly ready for sleep, but peeked my eyes open only to clench my teeth, Groose wiggling to remove his tunic once more as he simultaneously yanked the blanket up. I took the opportunity to turn around, bringing a hand to my face as I became flustered.

"You're so shy," he mocked, moving his arm around my waist, pulling me closer.

I widened my eyes a bit, realizing now he had ditched his pants as well. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, knowing that I now had every right to be more comfortable with him in situations like this. Hesitantly, I set out to prove him wrong and reached down to tug my own pants down, feeling him tense against me as I pushed them out from under the blanket.

"That's better…" I sighed, laughing to myself as he nuzzled me closer to his chest, his legs shifting to intertwine with mine.

We grew silent as we stayed squished together like that, and after feeling his breath steady against my neck, I turned a bit to see him dozing off. Slowly, I turned again, biting my lip as I took in the close proximity. Over the course of our relationship we had moments like these that scaled from little make-out sessions to heavy petting in the desert. My ears twitched and I rested my head near his shoulder and chest, glancing up to his half-lidded eyes. He smiled.

"Let's go on a date tomorrow," he whispered and I let my breath hitch a bit, tilting my head back further to take a better look at him. He smiled wider at my confused glance and reached up to push my hair back affectionately. "We haven't gone on a first date," he frowned for a moment and my lips twitched.

"I'd love to," I spoke softly, delighted as his grin returned, closing my eyes as he hunched over to kiss me. I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at the shortness of it, but knew the tiny caresses were just as special.

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><p>Out of the numerous times I had woken up next to Groose, nothing compared to the way I felt that morning. With a deep inhale, I was engulfed by his scent, and the comfort it blanketed me with made the aroma a new reason why I wanted to stay in this relationship. I cuddled closer to where I felt his bod heat, smiling as his hands twitched at my sides to pull me closer. I let out a small hum before pushing my nose to his chest, feeling a bit giddy as I heard him grumble awake.<p>

"Do I smell?" he muttered, and I tilted my head up a bit, giggling at his sleepy expression.

"In a good way…" I whispered, snuggling back into his form, listening to his chuckle reverberate in his chest as he rolled me over his form, my heart beat picking up as my chest laid flat against his own, legs falling between his. I recovered to bring my head up, propping my hand on the mattress to look at him as he held onto my waist. "What?" I tried to play dumb and he squeezed me closer, my body tingling at the warmth.

"You said I smelled," he reiterated and I flashed a small grin.

"You don't stink Groose," I assured. "I'm talking about…" I paused, trying to find the right words. "Your aroma," I felt my cheeks heat up a bit as his eyebrows twitched, probably wondering just what I was going on about. His silence influenced me to try and hide my face back in his chest but he moved his hand, catching the back of my head to pull me back. I fluttered my eyes closed to catch his lips in my own, peering at him as his hand drifted from my head to my shoulder.

"You're so girly," he teased and I felt a little bashful before he smirked. "I get it through," he paused to brush his hand through my hair. "I like the way you smell too," he flashed a small beam and I felt even more embarrassed.

Soon his hands moved again and when I noticed he was sliding me up his torso I tensed a bit before folding into him as we kissed again, by breath leaving me as it became clear he wasn't the moment end so quickly. I felt my back shiver as his fingers scrunched up the fabric of my dress, my heart skipping again when his fingers grazed the flesh of my back. I broke away for a short intake of air and gazed at Groose, finding him holding a look that was reminiscent of the last time we had our bodies pressed this close.

If there was one thing I was thankful for it was his ability to silently ask for permission, pausing from his movements to gaze at me. However, at the moment I was still unsure of what he was asking, but before I could say anything he turned himself over, his arms steadying my fall to the mattress as we switched positions. It was another one of those moments where I felt overwhelmed by what I thought was right in a relationship and what I knew was right for us. We had bypassed the traditional red tape, diving head first into the deep end.

Again the moment quickly heated up and I felt a jolt hit my spine as we kissed again, our lips moving at a quicker pace. I moved his hands to his back to pull him closer, tailing one to his hair where I smiled against his lips, glad I could run my fingers through it without issue. He was hesitant to collapse any further towards me but after an initial thought that I would most likely be crushed if he dropped all his weight, I was proven wrong, _dead_ wrong at his arousal.

We broke away, heavy breathed, almost as if we both understood where this had _almost_ led last time. I smiled, knowing it was my only way of encouraging him and found a similar grin aimed at me. We had barely continued our kiss when we both froze at a familiar sound, my heart sinking at the realization there had been a knock at the door. Groose pushed himself above me but didn't say anything, making me wonder if he was faking being absent so that we could continue. I rested my hands on his arms, feeling my heart racing.

"I _know_ you're in there, Groose,"

Groose's face deadpanned and I held back a small chuckle at Cawlin's voice. For a moment I saw the glare in Groose's eye almost turn into something else before he let out a disgruntled sigh, his shoulders collapsing as he fell down on the mattress next to me.

"Yeah, yeah, hold on!" he yelled back, his hand outstretching to trace the line of my jaw before we kissed again.

"I can hear you kissing!"

We both stifled laughs as we finally pulled away, Groose holding a longing look before he sharply turned away, jumping off the bed and yanking up his pants, rushing to the door as he hopped in them. I wrapped the blanket around me as tight as possible as I sat up, not wanting to have to struggle with speed dressing before the door opened.

Cawlin's eyes widened as he stepped in, sharply turning to face the closed door as Groose laughed, patting his friend on the head.

"You sounded urgent," he teased, Cawlin's head lifting to look at him.

"Can't you guys do this sort of stuff somewhere else?" he muttered, making me chuckle softly. Groose rolled his eyes before reaching over to his dresser, pulling out a fresh tunic.

"What's going on?" he asked and Cawlin's expression changed a bit.

"If you two lovers weren't so busy getting busy," I chewed on my lip, amazed by how forward he could be. "You would have heard the commotion this morning," he paused and finally seemed to show a pleased expression. "Ol' Link and Zelda are getting married,"

It only took his few words to make both Groose and I flinch, us sharing a look of wonder. The last time we had seen them had been the time Groose's mistake nearly cost us our relationship. Still, we had no knowledge anything of the sort was in order until now. Cawlin lifted his hand up, turning, seemingly over his initial shock of seeing me sitting in Groose's bed.

"Pipit thought it would be great to take Link out to congratulate him," he raised an eyebrow and I shrugged as Groose looked at me, almost for permission. "Zelda is just down the hall, so I'm sure she's planning her own party," he encouraged and I nodded, staying silent until he eventually left. Groose travelled back over to me and I titled my head up as he stood in front of me, resting his hand against my cheek.

"Maybe splitting up will give us time to cool off," he breathed out and I nodded, letting him help me up before I too dressed, pausing in front of the mirror to fix my hair. We embraced shortly before moving out the door. I was relieved to find nobody staring to catch us, but as Cawlin dragged Groose away, I waved, moving towards where he had said Zelda might be. Her blonde hair bobbed as she stood talking to Karane, their voice pausing as they turned to see me.

"Penny!" Zelda shouted, yanking me into a hug before grinning ear to ear. I let a breathless smile appear.

"So marriage?" I asked, making her blush a bit.

"I mean, we aren't going to get married tomorrow or a month from now," she paused and I raised an eyebrow, curious. She chuckled. "Link simply asked my father that if sometime in the future he could take my hand in marriage," she tried to explain as clearly as possible. Still, I felt confused.

"Since when have…" I trailed, knowing it was a stupid question. Groose and I had danced around a relationship the moment we knew the feelings for each other was no longer hate. Link and Zelda were childhood friends and the seed of love had been sowed long ago. Their path was also one that couldn't be defined by traditional methods. Karane's grin made it known that Zelda wasn't getting off easy.

"We are still celebrating," she insisted and after Zelda reluctantly agreed, Karane was in charge, something I was glad to allow her to do.

The day had taken a dramatic change and while I was mostly glad for the distraction so my mind didn't wander to the actions of this morning, I was still feeling a hollowness in my heart, knowing it was because once again I lost out on knowing how far Groose and I could go before one of backed out. I didn't let it fret me for long, Karane's gathering of Skyloft women a joyous sight as we took over the Lumpy Pumpkin, knowing the guys had stayed on Skyloft to do challenge.

It was a regular girl's party, but I still was able to converse with Zelda, hearing her joy for knowing what her future was going to hold. I admired her, but knew our paths would always be drastically different. Still, I sat and learned more about her journey and newfound life on the surface, one she wouldn't have created without Link. Her night was definitely more innocent than the boy's; a fact proven by their crashing of the Pumpkin, knowing it was better for us all to be together than apart.

The crowd still made it impossible to spend any long period of time with Groose but as the night dwindled on and the party stayed strong, I chose to take a breather, knowing Karane's request for ale couldn't turn into anything good. Once outside I took a deep breath in, smiling at the knowledge I wasn't the only person experiencing something great.

The footsteps next to me didn't surprise me, but as I gazed up at Groose, his soft expression had me silently questioning him. He gripped my hand and he tilted his head.

"Wanna go on that date?" he asked softly. I blinked for a moment before creasing my eyebrows together.

"What?" I asked, prompting a small chuckle from Groose.

"I'm taking you out on a date," he urged, tugging me closer to where he was stepping back to the diving platform.

I let out a sharp yelp as we both fell over the ledge, my arms clinging to him as he called his Loftwing, it catching us, my hands grabbing onto it as I adjusted in front of Groose. I was still confused and yanked my head back, gazing at Groose as he looked out to the sky now covered in moonlight.

"Where are we going?" I asked, watching as he slowly shook his head.

"It's a surprise," he assured and I looked back, my breath hitching as I noticed the fast approaching green pillar of light, my heart fluttering at the thought. In the back of my mind I wondered if it was really a good idea, knowing our previous visits usually never ended in the right way.

Still, Groose lowered his Loftwing through the thick cloud, and I tried to relax my mind, wanting to trust him. Landing in the clearing, I let go of a held breath, finding it hard to hold my gaze with Groose as he helped me down, my eyes instead following his arm where he grabbed a bag his Loftwing had been holding. I raised an eyebrow but he still shook his head, reaching for my hand as we walked towards the quite house that was Link and Zelda's. At first I felt a little strange, not wanting to violate their home without permission but as Groose stepped past the campfire towards the path into Faron Woods, my heart leapt again.

Soon enough I realized where he was leading us, my stomach flipping over as I noticed the water of the pond in front of the sacred temple, it glistening in the moonlight. I froze and Groose paused to turn back to me, my lips trembling as the memories rushed back.

"What are we doing here?" I quickly asked, resting my free hand against my chest, trying to figure out if I was about to faint. Groose frowned, moving to stand in front of me.

"I just…" he gulped before nodding once. "This is where I think, at least for me, _we_ started," he explained and I felt the smile reach my face again, wondering if there was ever another time he had attempted to be romantic. I nodded, stepping closer to the nearby tree, watching as he urged me to sit down with him. I laced my hands together as he opened the bag, producing a few large blankets. "We can have a sleepover in the forest, and just enjoy the place we met,"

I knew what he meant; understanding that while we had known each other all our lives, it took the chance occurrence of us both landing on the surface that brought us here. My heart slowed down a bit as I took in the ambiance of the moment, watching as Groose tilted his head back to gaze at the stars. I sat myself on the blanket next to him, resting my head on his shoulder and instead looking up at him. After a moment he switched his stare down, his lips twitching.

"Yes?" he asked and I felt my heart beat return to the rapid beat it had pretty much half of the day.

I reached up to slide my arms around his shoulder and allowed my breath to hitch a moment before leaning in, pushing my lips to his. It had been the third time as of recently we had been alone to kiss and embrace in such a way. I sat as close as I could next to him, smiling against his lips as I decided for once, tonight would be our night.

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><p><strong>AN: If you are not offended my the lemon pledge I offer, please continue reading in the separately uploaded chapter "Desire" :D**


	22. An Epilogue

**A/N: This is a short epilogue but, if you wish to see more of this story and little vignettes surrounding this story, including one-shots about other characters, might I direct you to where I post this on tumblr. That is where I will be posting new additions to this story :D (.com/)**

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><p>It had always been said that life worked in mysterious ways. I thought the phrase was a little broken, figuring that with the way my life had been going in Skyloft, I was bound to lead a normal existence. Of course this was before I was shoved through the thick cloud of the surface. The relationship between Groose and I had gone through several trials, but after both of us realized that our feelings were too hard to ignore, we finally accepted that nothing was going to keep us apart for long.<p>

No matter which way I wrapped my head around it, I knew that whatever we were to become was fate. Especially now, with our connection stronger, I felt even more content with admitting I wanted to be with him, affirming something I had been thinking and feeling for some time. Our tryst in Faron Woods was a memory I hoped I never forgot. Already in the forefront of my thoughts as I awoke, I smiled, feeling the warmth from inside me radiating.

My heart race increased at a similar heat next to me and as I finally opened my eyes, I only found a golden gaze already locked to my stare. In the past, the intensity of the moment would have sent me running, but now, I felt my smile grow. Groose observed for a moment before tugging at my waist so I scooted closer, only then my blush making its presence. In the heat we had created the night before we opted to sleep under the blanket nude, a fact that had skipped my mind till now.

"Good morning," Groose mumbled into my ear as we shared an embrace. I tilted my head back to flash a grin once more, watching as he yawned.

"When are we heading back to Skyloft?" I asked then, moving my hand so it rested on the ground between us. Groose raised an eyebrow.

"What, make love then run?" he joked, turning to stretch on his back.

I stared at him still on my side, his comment making me nervous. Sure, it was a lot better than him referencing what we shared as something more vulgar, but every time he mentioned love and then us, it made my heart skip a beat. The feeling was reminiscent of how I used to feel around him; anxious about who would make the first move. Now, however, it felt like a test to who would admit they were falling further into this, and admit it first. My heart told me it had happened the minute we embraced the night before, his words reaffirming how I had already started to feel. I knew I wouldn't be able to admit it at this point, my mind wanting more proof I would at least be told the same thing back.

"What are you going to tell your dad?" he suddenly asked and I moved my arm to hold the sheet to my chest as he scooted back a bit. I skewed my lips to the side for a moment in thought.

"The truth," I responded, chuckling at Groose's instant worried expression. "I'm more worried about Peatrice…" I admitted, smiling some more as he wiggled closer, resting his head on my shoulder.

"So you're going to tell them we came down here and…" I moved a hand to his arm as he paused, lifting his chin up to look at me. "Oh please don't tell your dad what we did, he'll kill me," he whimpered and I shook my head, scooting myself down to his level.

"I don't think he'd kill the reason for my happiness," Groose's face flushed a bit. "But I don't think I'll tell them we came here unless they asked," I reassured, watching as his eyebrows twitched.

"Why's that?" he asked. I shrugged, sighing as he pulled me to his chest again.

"Well I don't want to expose our spot to them," I titled my head back to gaze at him. "In case this is the only place we have to ourselves…" I let my eyes soften, Groose's arms tightening around me.

"Even if this is the only place," he pushed his lips to my forehead and I smiled again, lifting my chin up so we could kiss briefly. "As long as I can still steal kisses and you stay over some nights," I nodded, closing my eyes as we held each other again.

The silence over took us, and while it was peaceful, it made me think about the future. Visions of what my life might become in the coming years got my heart racing, wanting to know where laying in this man's arms might take me. We sat there in the morning light, and let the emotion of what we had shared sink in.

This was another moment I committed to memory, and while our words shared was brief; it was a moment that needed no conversation to be special. We shared small smiles at each other as we finally rose to dress, both blushing at the sight of flesh. It seemed that no matter how close we got there would always be something to make one of us nervous. I had leaned forward to pull my boots on, but Groose's shadow made me glance up, seeing his hand outstretched to me. Anxiously I let him help me up and allowed the small shiver take me, his soft hands a contradiction to the rest of his personality.

"I don't want to lose this feeling," he spoke softly and I moved closer, pushing up on my toes to catch his lips in my own. It was the only way I knew how to respond, and judging by the way his arms wrapped around me, I knew he wouldn't have had it any other way.

It was a feeling I no longer knew I had to worry about losing; knowing that the fates had brought us together, reaffirming that life worked in mysterious ways. We didn't need to say anything else, and like before I knew that we were one step closer towards admitting new feelings. I hoped, as we parted, that the Goddess would allow us to one day, fall in love.


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